


The Ties that Bind - Rise of a Hero

by cheddarbug



Series: The Ties that Bind [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Carine is a persistent shit, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, First Time, Forced Marriage, Kissing, Light Choking, Living Together, Loss of Virginity, Neck Kissing, Nero is being a huge shit, Nero's giant ego, Partial Dubcon, Shameless Smut, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, badly timed interruptions, consent kink, light BDSM elements, sort of mirror sex?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-04-22 03:07:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 121,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheddarbug/pseuds/cheddarbug
Summary: It's been five years since the Calamity and five years since the leaders of Eorzea signed a treaty with the Garlean Empire, allowing them to draft brides from within their borders so the Eorzeans can secure their independence from their foes.Convinced that her chances are better at not getting drafted, Carine Monteil feels no obligation to worry about the draft...until both she and Violaine are taken on the same day.While her sister seems to completely disappear, Carine is matched with not just any Garlean soldier, but with the second in command; Nero tol Scaeva himself.As she uncovers Gaius' plans to invade Eorzea, Carine seeks out the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a rebel group whose sole focus is to rid their homeland of the Garlean threat once and for all.Will she help her new found friends? Or will her budding feelings for the tall glass of ego distract her from her duties?





	1. Drafted

**Author's Note:**

> *First off, I am not that great at first chapters...and I don't have a beta.*
> 
> I know, I know, I have several stories right now dealing with Carine and her love interests, but THIS is the one all those others will somehow tie into! It IS an AU (mainly because I like heroes to make themselves rather than be chosen), so things might not quite be lore friendly. I will update tags as I go, but I am not entirely sure exactly how this is going to end. Just prepare for an epic length novel that will contain plenty of smut...eventually...and action and adventure and TENSION! 
> 
> Lots of things are going to happen, it's going to be a wild ride, but I really hope you enjoy it!

_There is nothing like the smell of conquest first thing in the morning,_ Nero tol Scaeva thought as he walked off the airship onto the landing platform, red dragon helmet under his arm and scanned the soldiers lined up on either side. Gaius wasn’t one to shirk on formalities, as it was made apparent by the host of Imperial soldiers that marched along the edges of the landing pad to prepare for the supplies that Nero had brought with him.

Few precious things would bring the general from Garlemald and his extensive laboratory there, and his mentor had promised he would not regret making the journey from his beloved homeland to this backwater country known as Eorzea. So far, he had not been wrong. From the moment Nero had stepped off the airship, he could feel the vast amounts of aether flowing through the air. One could practically reach out and grasp it, its energy was so dense. With such vast amounts of this powerful resource and beast tribes galore, Gaius promised the threat of Primals could very well be on the horizon.

And that was the ticket they needed to move ahead in their plan.

The Eorzeans had put up a spectacular fight, from everything Nero had heard while he was back in Garlemald working on technology that was meant to break them. Unfortunately, even magitek had its limits, and the fall of Dalamud as well as the release of the Primal dragon Bahamut had all but decimated both sides of the war. By some stroke of luck, the leaders of Eorzea had agreed to meet with Emperor Solus and a treaty was formed.

The very treaty that would end up being their downfall.

Nero’s lip curled up at one side as he walked down the path, his eyes scanning over each soldier as he passed until he was met by Gaius van Baelsar himself.

The man was just a head shorter than Nero, yet still tall and proud. His armor was black as night, though a fine layer of dust had settled upon it as he had waited for his ward’s arrival. Beside him was his bride, Livia sas Junius, clad in her white armor to directly contrast that of her husband’s. Behind them stood the giant form of who could only be the Roegadyn that Gaius had taken a liking to some years ago.

“I trust your journey went well?” Gaius asked as he saluted his general.

Nero mimicked the act and flashed a brilliant smile, “Of course, not that the destination holds much beauty to admire.”

Gaius beckoned for the man to follow him, leading him through the streets of Ala Mhigo and updating him on their current progress since occupying Eorzea. A group of guards escorted them, though it wasn’t likely they were in any danger. The Tribunes were a deadly lot, each more dangerous than the one before them and all relentless to a fault. The guards were simply a formality, a show of power to the people of Ala Mhigo that dared to even dream of rebellion.

“Tell me, Gaius, what brings me here to this _lovely_ little country?” Nero asked as they ascended the stairs to the palace where the Legatus resided.

“I have stumbled upon something that you will find most fascinating,” Gaius replied, his deep voice coming through the speaker of his mask. “But there are things you must attend to first before I take you to it.”

The Legatus signaled, and a man in medical attire approached the group, a syringe and a vial in hand. Nero groaned at the sight and turned to his mentor in protest. “Must we do this _now?_ ” he asked. “Or at all. I am a man with very little time…”

“Are you telling your Legatus you do not wish to perform your basic civil duty?” Livia asked, her voice stern and condescending. “Are you not aware of the punishment enforced by law for such an act?”

“Ah, Livia. I forgot just how much I have missed that tone of yours,” he smirked. “And it isn’t that I do not wish to perform my civil _duty,_ ” he went on, stressing the last word. “It’s just I find the entire thing trivial for a man of my standing.”

The unfortunate thing about these serious Tribunes is that they always wore their helmets, so he could not see the flash of anger he knew was being expressed that very moment. He could almost feel the glare of death coming from those green eyes hidden beneath the hunk of metal over her head, and the thought of it only made him smile more.

“Enough. You will go and have your blood drawn to be tested and matched. Go now, report back here when you are done,” Gaius ordered. “I promise you will find this momentary diversion worth it.”

With a tsk, Nero did as he was told and followed the medical personnel down another hallway and into a large room where he was instructed to remove his armor. Luckily for him, he had been prepared for this moment, ever since they had started implementing the blood matching system nearly a decade ago, and was able to remove enough so they could collect his blood and send him on his way with little fuss.

An evil thing, being forced into getting poked with needles, but a necessary one thanks to their unique genetics. At least he would only have to have it done once a year for the duration of his stay. The Eorzeans had it much worse in that they had to have it done each time a new squadron of Garleans landed on their soil. And that seemed to be a normal occurance nowadays.

If all went well, he would be able to relax and completely focus on the conquest at hand.

Once his blood had been collected and sent to the lab, Nero strolled back into the main hall of the palace to see his fellow Tribunes standing there and speaking quietly amongst themselves. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched one of their guards eyeing Gaius one too many times. Something told Nero this was no simple admirer of one of the greatest warriors in all of Garlemald, so he made the mental note to watch him more closely.

“Since you have my blood and are forcing me to wait to know if I am in the clear, may I _now_ know what it is you intended to show me?” he asked as he joined them. Gaius nodded and motioned for him to follow.

Nero was surprised to see them take a side exit from the palace and down a narrow alleyway towards large, metal doors that opened for them with the scan of Gaius’ identification card. They descended into the darkness below the city, their steps lit only by the magitek lanterns that hung along the walls. The further down they traveled, the more apparent it became that this was an excavation site as piles of rubble were pushed along the walls, narrowing their path.

When they finally reached the bottom, more magitek lit up, illuminating the sight before them. It took several minutes for Nero’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, but that didn’t keep him from scouring every inch of the place to take note of what he _might_ be looking at. As far as he could tell, there was Allegan technology here, and just the sight of it sent his heart racing in his chest. Oh the _possibilities!_

“This way,” Gaius ordered, leading him down another path to another area. This one was lit up much brighter, the obvious point of interest in their excavation, and what lay before him was nearly enough to stop his galloping heart in its tracks.

Only halfway uncovered, Nero knew exactly what he was looking at. The black metallic sheen of metal had been untouched by the years that had come to surround it, proving its authenticity at being Allag made. Though he had theorized its existence for _years,_ to see it with his very eyes seemed almost an impossibility.

“How did you find this?” he asked breathlessly as he removed one of his gauntlets to touch the cool metal. A thrill shot through him at the contact, nearly making him laugh aloud at just how incredible this moment was.

“This.” The Legatus pulled something from his armor, some small device whose readings were currently off the chart. “I thought the thing to be worthless until it lead me here. I trust that you are more than pleased with this discovery?”

Nero grinned wickedly, his eyes never leaving the weapon before him. “Only if you tell me I get to play with it.”

“This isn’t something to become your personal _toy,_ ” Livia objected, but Gaius raised his hand to hush her.

“I task you, Nero tol Scaeva, with the refurbishment of the Ultima Weapon. Have your team research how to power it up and I will see to it that you will have everything you require to get it up and running in a year’s time.”

The Garlean scientist couldn’t help but beam with delight at his superior, feeling like a child who had received everything he had asked for during the Starlight Celebration. Behind Gaius, he could see the widened eyes of horror as the guard that he had noticed earlier recognized the name.

A grave mistake.

With a single, fluid motion, Nero reached for the gunlance at his side and pointed it at the guard, firing off a single shot without hesitation. In a fit of rage, Livia rushed at him, ready to attack when her husband stopped her with his hand. Nero smirked, walking up to where the guard now lay dead and kicked off his helmet.

“You know, Gaius, you should be more careful who you allow into your personal guard,” he said as he searched the body for any clues that the man was indeed a spy. He wrinkled his nose as he rolled the man over and reached for his belt, pulling out a cryptic message and holding it out for Livia to see. “Tsk, tsk. I expected better vigilance from you.”

The woman grabbed it from his hand and read over it while he strolled back up to the weapon that had now become his new pet project.

Now, to just uncover this beauty completely and move it to a suitable lab...

 

***

 

Carine Monteil let out a long breath as she pulled her long, silvery hair into a high ponytail and fanned herself with her hand. It was nearly midday in Vesper Bay and already the sun was beginning to feel too hot on her skin. Beside her, her mother worked on sorting through their wares to keep their cart looking as neat and organized as possible while her sister, Violaine, arranged the flowers on the cart next to them.

It wasn’t often that the small family traveled outside of their homeland of Gridania, and even less so that they would do so to come to the desert region of Thanalan. They still made a point to visit at least once a month and sell their wares, especially now. Due to their high quality items gathered or crafted by their own hands, the Monteil’s were a largely successful family business where each woman had her own part to play.

Violaine, Carine’s younger sister, was not only one of the most beautiful Elezen in all of Eorzea with her ash blonde hair and brilliantly blue eyes, but she had a knack for growing things. Her vegetables and fruits were amongst the best in all the land, as far as their customers were concerned, and her flower arrangements were said to rival her own beauty.

Carine, though still considered beautiful, was harder and leaner from years of training with bow and lance to hone her hunting skills. Rather than take the time to will her wavy, silvery hair into submission, she slicked it back into a ponytail or braid, and her lavender eyes were sharper and harsher than her sister’s. Still, no one could quite hunt the way she did, and her skills had gained her favor in the ranks of the God’s Quiver and the Woodland Wailers respectively.

And then there was their mother. Tall and elegant from growing up as Ishgardian nobility, she was a favorite among their customers. Despite losing her husband when both girls were still very young, she had endured and pushed for her goals to be met. Every night she weaved fabric, staring out as a simple seamstress to make ends meet. Now the rich came to her for her faultless seamwork and careful attention to detail.

Carine smiled as she looked over at her family, each of them dedicated to the tasks at hand as customers stopped to shop. A smile that faltered as the tell-tale sound of Garlean airships were heard overhead. Like everyone else around her, she looked to the sky to see three of them heading towards Ala Mhigo. A sense of dread filled her stomach as she looked to Violaine with a frown. This made four airships to land today alone, one of them having arrived earlier that morning and that meant one thing.

The Draft.

“Blast it! Didn’t they just have a Draft not two moons ago?” a little Lalafell lady grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up at the sky.

“Aye,” Carine replied. “You’d think they have enough soldiers, wouldn’t you?”

“Enough for an invasion,” the Lalafell whispered, but Carine’s excellent hearing had managed to pick up on it. She wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but the crowd had thickened and the small woman was lost to her.

It seemed true enough, if she were right, but the Garleans had promised they were only rotating them out for new blood. Carine wasn’t convinced though. It seemed like more airships came in than left, and there was no way of knowing if the airships that had left held soldiers bound for Garlemald.

Carine wasn’t the only Eorzean to feel this way, and one glance around the marketplace was proof enough. Several shops had been closed in the wake of the Calamity, the owners selling their businesses to the Garleans in exchange for vast amounts of gil that was more than enough to pay for them. It had only been five years since the Battle at Carteneaux had decimated both Garlean and Eorzean forces, leading them to start the Marriage Treaty that had united them for a time, but according to many of the Hyur that had fled Ala Mhigo during the Imperial occupation, that was only the start.

First, they would find a way into the country. That had been simple enough, as she recalled. She had been there, fighting that bloody battle alongside her fellow Twin Adders when things had gone to shit. As one of the lucky ones to have been called out early, she had watched as Bahamut laid waste to the land below, killing all those left behind with fire and ash, both Eorzean and Garlean. Anyone that could remember the sight would agree that the bloodshed had to end.

Apparently forced marriage was supposed to fix that.

In exchange for remaining independent from the Garlean Empire, the leaders of the city-states of Eorzea agreed to sign the Marriage Treaty which granted the Garleans the right to draft brides that were genetically compatible with their own kind. As it was, the Garleans were largely male dominant. In order to avoid extinction, they had created a unified force and expanded into other territories, taking the women and breeding with them to improve their numbers. Any country they conquered, they managed to conscript the residents into fighting for them, increasing their army and their strength. Eorzea was their last great conquest, and by some miracle they had managed to earn the right to keep their freedom. As far as everyone was concerned, five women or so a year wasn’t a bad price to pay to keep living the illusion.

The problem was, no one was safe from this act. Everyone had assumed that if they were already married, they would be exempt from participating. This had lead to a dramatic increase in marriages at the Sanctum of the Twelve, only for them to find out that it was based on genetic compatibility rather than how many single women there were. Some had theorized that having children would decrease their chances of being chosen. This ended with many women with children they didn’t truly want, and soon the orphanages filled up.

Carine and her sister had avoided most of the commotion. There wasn’t much they could do to avoid the Draft. Those that skipped were arrested, those that fought were often killed, and through that damned treaty, it was completely legal. It was best to just stand in line, have your blood collected, and then go home because honestly the chances of matching were slim to none for most people. Hyur had the highest chance of matching with Elezen and Roegadyns coming in second. The Miqo’te and the Au Ra were highly improbable, but tested regardless while the Lalafell were the only race completely exempt. Carine wasn’t sure if it was because they were truly genetically incapable, or because they looked like children even as grown adults. Either way, for the first time in history, everyone wished they had been a Lala.

It didn’t take long for the horns to blast, signaling the residents to head to the local outpost with their identification cards at the ready. Reluctantly, Carine and Violaine turned to their mother, whose blue eyes were full of worry.

“We’ll be right back, Mama,” Carine promised, kissing her cheek. “We always come back.”

“I’ll be praying the whole time,” she replied, hugging each one.

“Watch Buck closely. He’s been eyeing those greens for the last half bell,” Violaine warned, not a hint of concern in her eyes as she pointed at the Chocobo in question.

Carine playfully smacked at her sister’s hand, wagging a finger in her direction. “He’s the perfect gentleman!” she teased, knowing full well her trusted companion certainly could _not_ be trusted around a fresh stack of Gysahl greens. He ‘kweh’d with a tilt of his head, as if posturing as innocently as possible, lightening the mood that had settled over them.

“Hurry back now,” their mother urged, pushing them into the crowd of women shuffling their feet towards the black building that lay just outside the gates of the small town.

Waiting in line was the worst part of the ordeal. They were forced into three long lines on slick, black flooring that pulsed with energy from the magitek that made up the majority of the building. Carine held firmly onto her sister’s hand as they were ushered into one of the lines, and gave her a gentle squeeze each time a woman disappeared behind the curtain.

The tension was palpable with each named called out. Everyone seemed to hold their breath and wait for the ping that would announce that a match had been made; and they released that breath with each woman given the clear. Carine would have thought after five years of doing this, it would have just become another thing. She convinced herself time and time again that she hadn’t been chosen yet, so that meant that she wouldn’t be, yet she couldn’t keep her heart from pounding in her chest as she waited.

Before she knew it, Violaine was ushered ahead of her. The moment their hands parted, Carine’s heart had stopped. In order to keep her senses about her, she watched a lovely Midlander rush out and into the open arms of the man that she assumed was her husband. Happy tears flowed freely down both their cheeks as he lifted her into the air and showered her with kisses. They were a lucky pair, and Carine found herself praying to Nophica that they would never part.

Her prayer was interrupted by a loud ping, snapping her back into focus to see who it was. Her eyes quickly scanned each station only for her heart to drop as she watched Violaine being lead out in the wrong direction.

Instinct spurred her into action as Carine jumped over the rope that separated her from her sister. She ran full speed, crying out Violaine’s name. An arm reached out and grabbed her, spinning her around and face first into magitek armor, nearly knocking her senseless.

“Let go of me! That’s my sister!” she cried out, tears streaming down her face as she watched her disappear from sight. She pulled and kicked and screamed as two other Garleans restrained her, one of them scanning her card.

“She has not yet been tested.” His voice came through the speaker on his face. Carine wanted nothing more than to reach forward and rip the stupid thing off him, but her arms were forced behind her back as she was pushed along into one of the makeshift rooms.

“Hold still, this won’t take a moment,” the medical personnel ordered, pulling out a syringe and a vial. Their assistant tried to grab onto one of her arms and clean the site in the crook of her elbow, but she fought to get free. “Sedate her.”

At that, the Elezen stilled, eyes growing wide as she watched another syringe with a clear liquid being prepared. That was the absolute _last_ thing she wanted in this moment, given that she had to find her sister somehow. “I’ll be still, I promise.”

The Garlean looked at her with distrust, but Carine sat completely still to show she meant it. _Calm down. You can’t help her if you try and fight them all. Let them have their blood, you need to think…_ she told herself. The building they were currently in wasn’t very large, and she knew from watching Drafts before that women who were matched weren’t shipped off to the nearest Castrum until they were claimed by the Garlean they were matched with. That meant Violaine would be waiting in the back somewhere for at least a couple of hours.

She winced as the needle pierced her skin, but forced herself to remain still. The soldiers that had restrained her were still watching her closely and would continue to do so until she left the building. She wouldn’t even put it past them to follow her for the rest of the day after the commotion she had just made. A miscalculation if she had ever made one.

The doctor pressed a bit of cotton to the site to stop the blood flow and then turned to place the vial of blood into a machine. Several beeps later, and a timer formed letting her know she had five minutes to wait for her results.

“I want to see my sister,” she said, looking up at the motionless soldiers. She knew they heard her, but neither of them responded to her demands. “Hello? I said I want to see my sister.”

“Brides are prohibited from contacting their family once a match has been made. This is the law,” the assistant answered her. Carine turned her attention to the woman.

She was a Midlander, small and considerably lovely with dark brown hair and amber eyes. Why would she willingly work for these people? What did they have over her? Was she a bride or a conscript? The woman peeled off her gloves, revealing a magitek ring upon her left hand. A bride.

“We aren’t even allowed to say goodbye? What about our mother? She will be devastated!” Carine pleaded.

“Brides are not permitted to see their families,” the Midlander replied coldly. “If you are clear, then you can relay the information. She should be proud that her daughter will be a protected citizen of Garlemald.”

“More like a prisoner,” she mumbled under her breath.

If the woman wanted to argue with her, she didn’t get the chance because that very moment, the screen flashed and pinged.

Carine had just been Drafted.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Only then did it click that he wasn't here to execute her._
> 
> _He was there to **marry** her._

A hush fell over the building as the pinging continued from the screen. The soldiers that had been carefully watching her behavior were looking at each other as the assistant and the doctor rushed to recheck the results to make sure it had not been a mistake. Carine could only stare wide-eyed at the flashing screen, not sure if she were believing this was truly happening or if this was some hallucination caused from her earlier panic. 

It was a rare enough occurance to be matched as it was. In the five years that this treaty had been in effect, Carine had only ever seen two women taken. Rumor had it that a little less than a hundred women had been taken in total, so it was rare enough that there were many people that didn’t know a single person that had matched up. Now, in a single day, there hadn’t been one woman selected, but two sisters. 

Carine wasn’t sure if she had been blessed by Nophica or cursed. On the one hand, she was relieved to be able to follow in behind Violaine, but on the other that meant that neither of them would be able to tell their mother what had happened. There was little she could do to rectify that situation at the moment as she was lead by the guards out the back of the makeshift room and down a long corridor lit with magitek. 

Soon she was brought to a room where Violaine was sitting. Her sister looked up, eyes swollen from crying and tear stains upon her cheeks. She choked out another sob as she stood and rushed to Carine, throwing herself in her sister’s arms and burying her face into the crook where her neck met her shoulder. 

“How did you convince them to let you see me?” she asked, wiping away her tears and sniffling. 

“I didn’t. I was matched too,” Carine told her, hugging her back. 

Violaine paused, her brows knitting together with confusion until her eyes widened in horror and her lips trembled. “What about Mother? We can’t leave her alone, Carine, we can’t!” she pulled away and began pacing, running her hands through her hair in worry. “Who is going to help her gather her materials or help her sell her wares? She can’t do it on her own.”

“Shh, I’ll figure it out,” she replied, pulling her sister back in for a hug and stroking her hair in comfort. “I just need some time.”

The two girls sat on the hard benches on the far side of the room under the watchful gaze of the Garlean soldiers that guarded the only door in. For several hours, during the rest of the testing, they waited for more pings that never came. During this time, they were brought a fresh change of clothes and food, both of which the sisters rejected. Violaine prayed silently while Carine ran through scenarios that would likely get both of them to freedom without getting either of them killed. She knew she could take the two Garleans in the room with her easily enough, but the entire building was full of those bastards and the supporters they had garnered from other nations they had conquered. 

After some time, they were brought reading material which consisted of what would be expected of them in their new roles as wives to these Garlean soldiers. Carine scrolled through page after page, skimming the details that made her cringe with each swipe. Everything from how they should greet their new spouse to what to expect while living in the Castrum was covered, and more. Carine couldn’t even bring herself to read about intimacy requirements as the thought of having to sleep with one of these bloody bastards was enough to make her stomach churn. 

“How long until they come for us?” Violaine asked, her face paling as she read on. She had always been more thorough than Carine ever had been, and just seeing the way her lips trembled and eyes widen with each page let her know that she absolutely had no desire to know the finer details. 

“Not sure. It’s bound to be getting dark soon,” Carine answered. Their room had no windows and no clocks, making it impossible for the girls to tell how much time had passed. All she knew is that she was tired and hungry and just wanted to see their mother. 

As if that had been a cue, the door to their cell opened and four new Garleans filtered in, covered head to toe in slick black armor. They didn’t say a word as they grabbed the new identification cards that had been given to the girls and scanned them with their magitek gear. Violaine’s card made a beep and all at once they grabbed her arms and began ushering her from the room. 

“No! Where are you taking her! Stop!” Carine rushed forth to grab her and pull her back. They were here together, no reason that they should be separated now, yet the other two guards pulled her back to allow them to escort her sister. Violaine struggled, kicking and screaming as she tried to get away, but to no avail. The magitek door hissed as it came to a close, making the last face Carine saw of her sister’s one of panic and fear. 

She lost it.

Being a member of the Wood Wailers had given her plenty of experience in combat. She didn’t have a lance, but one of her guards did. With the agile and grace that years of archery and lance training had granted her, Carine managed to disarm the guard, swinging the long shaft around and cracking him in the head. The other guard barely had time to react as she swung it low, knocking him from his feet and to the ground. Quickly, the Elezen grabbed his identification card and put it into the slot to open the door before rushing into the hall towards the sounds of a struggle. 

It didn’t take but a few moments for an alarm to sound, but Carine paid it no mind as she stretched her long legs in strides, carrying her down the pulsing halls. A few soldiers attempted to stop her, mostly trained conscripts that weren’t wearing the dense magitek armor that the Garleans were given. She managed to disarm them and knock them to the ground easily enough as they attacked, but they did succeed in slowing her down. She pressed on until she found the landing pad where the smaller airships were stationed. Using the stolen I.D., Carine rushed towards one of the ships that was taking off, the one she knew her sister was on. In a last ditch effort, she launched her spear towards the ship, hoping to bring it back to the ground, but it bounced harmlessly from the side as the airship ascended.

She could do nothing but watch. Watch and pray that her sister was going to be okay and that maybe, just maybe, they would be going to the same place. Footsteps behind her alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone, and she held up her hands in surrender. There was no point in fighting anymore, at least not for the moment. They didn’t seem to see it this way, for one of the guards from earlier marched towards her and then elbowed her hard in the face, knocking her unconscious. 

 

Carine awoke some time later, shackles on her wrists and behind cold iron bars. She was still in the Garlean outpost, judging by the sleek flooring and walls that surrounded her, and there was no sign of her beloved sister. 

How in Seven Hells had she gotten into this mess? That was a stupid question because had she just stopped to think rather than act she would most likely not have a throbbing headache and would still be in the room with the benches. She then noticed two guards were standing outside of her cell, arguing over something that she could barely understand. 

“Do you have any  _ idea _ what you have done?” one of them sneered, pointing a finger at the other’s chest. “Did you not see who she was matched to?”

“I was doing my job,” the second one replied matter-of-factly. “She presented a danger to herself and others. She needed to be contained.”

 

“Tell that to the general when he gets here.”

The general? Carine’s heart lurched in her chest. She had really messed up if they had sent for one of the Garlean generals to decide her fate.  _ Stupid, stupid, stupid, _ she scolded herself, softly banging her head against the wall and wincing as it made her headache worse. She knew better than to fight them. It was the fucking  _ law. _ Women had  _ died _ doing what she had, and not for a single moment since that stupid computer pinged had she considered the consequences. 

She hadn’t stopped to even consider what her mother’s reaction would be. As devastating as it probably was to lose both your daughters in the same day to people you considered the enemy, it probably had to be worse knowing one of them chose to die rather than figure a way out of the situation. And Carine  _ had _ to be the one to do it. She was resourceful and cunning and knew how to fight whereas Violaine was soft and gentle. If either of them was going to truly find a way out of this mess, Carine would, but instead she chose to act on instinct alone.

And she was mostly likely going to die for it.

The worried guard was the first to notice that she had woken, most likely her hitting her head against the wall had alerted him. He knelt down by the bars of the cage, examining her through the visor of his helmet. “How is your head?” he asked, surprising her with his tone of concern. Why would he be worried about how her head felt?

“I’m fine,” she growled, turning her face away from him. She just wanted to go home, to wake up from this bad dream and go back to their house in Gridania to see their mother weaving and Violaine tending to her gardens.

A woosh and the echo of heavy footsteps echoed through the prison cells, alerting her to more soldiers coming. Most likely it was this general the guard had mentioned, coming to sentence her to a swift death for her insubordination. In response, the two guards at her cell quickly stood at attention, giving their stupid salute and standing completely still as one of the tallest Garleans Carine had ever seen came into view. 

A formidable sight, the Garlean stood at least a head taller than Carine herself, and being an Elezen, that was rather tall. He wore maroon armor trimmed in gold and black with a spiked dragon helm upon his head. Tension mounted in the corridor as he stopped before her cage, looking down at her in what she could only assume was disgust. Eorzeans were a pest in their eyes, after all, and this man had to be one of the more important ones considering his elaborate get up. 

Rather than be intimidated by his commanding presence, Carine narrowed her eyes and scowled. She would show this intruder that she held no fear of him or his kind, no matter how powerful he appeared to be. She shuffled to her feet, standing tall and proud and lifting her chin defiantly. 

Deliberately, his hands went to the base of his helm and removed it, revealing a shock of golden hair and a surprisingly handsome face beneath. Pale blue eyes studied her from above his long, refined nose. He had strong cheekbones and a wide jawline sharp enough to cut diamonds, but none of that is what held Carine’s attention. As many times as she had seen Garleans, never had she seen them without a helm upon their head, so the shock of seeing the oblong, golden third eye that sat upon this man’s brow kept her steady gaze. 

“Open the door.” He issued the order like a man used to giving them and the nicer of the two guards rushed to obey while the other stopped him.

“She’s dangerous, ser. Took out nearly ten of us trying to get to the other one,” he informed him. 

“I said, open the door.”

There was no attempt to stop the guard this time as the cold, callous words were uttered with the threat of  _ something _ behind them. Carine swallowed nervously, but refused to peel her eyes off the man.

As she was still shackled to the wall, she had no choice but to stand there as the man in the red armor entered. He reached out with one gloved hand, gripping her pointed chin and leaning in closely to get a better look at her face. With every ounce of courage, she forced herself to watch him as he tilted her head this way and that, examining her as if he were looking at some sort of material he found far too many flaws in. 

“Who did this to you?” he asked, his eyes resting upon her cheek. A moment of distraction lead her to look past him at the guards before she remembered herself. It was too late, however, for he turned to face the two of them. 

The nicer of the two held up his hands, shaking his head, pointing in the direction of the other. “I-I tried to stop him, ser, but he wouldn’t listen.”

The general let go of her face and turned to face the soldiers, his features sharp and deadly. If she didn’t know any better, Carine would have thought the man angry at them for roughing her up a bit, even if it were her own doing.

“Is this true?”

The second guard now seemed worried, any hints of his earlier composure long forgotten as he took a few steps backwards. “She took my lance, ser. Fought us both and several other soldiers. It’s our job to keep this place secure…” he prattled on, still backing away slowly from the man that was now approaching him.

“You let a  _ woman _ disarm you? And defeat you in combat?” The Garlean turned to look at her again, almost in disbelief and possibly admiration. 

“Took us by surprise,” the other said. 

The general nodded, looking down at the ground as he turned around back to Carine. Then, in a swift movement, he drew a gun from his waist and shot the guard in the head without hesitation. Carine’s eyes widened in horror as he turned it on the other. She reached out, straining against the manacles on her wrists and cried out for him to stop what he was doing. 

“He didn’t do anything to me. Please, don’t!” she begged, her fingertips touching the sleek red armor. 

“We have no room for weak soldiers,” he replied, but lowered his weapon. Carine’s chest heaved with relief as he holstered it back at his waist and dropped her arms. How in Seven Hells had that worked? 

“I hope that is a lesson to you,” he said, looking back at the guard whose life had just been spared. “No one touches or marks what is  _ mine. _ ”

She looked back at him and watched his lips curl into a cruel grin as he reached for her shackles and began punching in a code. They fell from her wrists, giving her the freedom to rub away the stiffness from wearing them for Nophica knows how long. She watched him walk out of the cell and down the hall, confusion holding her in place until he stopped and turned to wave her to follow. Only then did it click that he wasn’t here to execute her. 

He was here to  _ marry _ her.

Her heart fell to her stomach, and her stomach fell to the floor as she paled at the realization. That’s why the nicer guard was nervous and chastising the other. It wasn’t because they had taken her punishment in their own hands to detain her, but because she had been matched to possibly one of the most powerful members of the XIVth legion. 

And one of them had hurt her.

She wondered if maybe there had been something in her reading that would have prepared her for this. 

Carine followed him, staying several paces behind, though he didn’t seem to have a care in the world if she kept up. His legs made long strides and he focused on the path ahead rather than the woman still trying to understand what was going on. He turned down another passage, and then another, leading her through some sort of maze until finally they were brought into a room where an older Garlean man stood. 

He was wearing simple white and black robes with the Garlean symbol stitched along the hem, holding a screen in each hand and motioning for them to sit in the plush black chairs in front of his desk. The man in the red armor elected to stand, grabbing one of the magitek screens and flicking his finger over the smooth glass, skimming whatever document was on there until he reached the last page. He held out his hand, seeking one of the pens that she assumed he would use to sign it, but the older man shook his head. 

“Are you sure you do not wish to read through this more carefully?” he asked, keeping the device just out of his reach. 

“I am sure that I want this over as quickly as possible,” the general snapped back, quickly pulling the pen out of his hands and signing. “I am a busy man with little time for these distractions.”

He then turned his attention to the Elezen, his stern gaze hurrying her to follow suite. She wanted to read through everything carefully, but something told her that it would be best to just go to the end and sign as he had done. The last thing she wanted was to be put at the other end of the barrel of his gun for keeping him from whatever duties he deemed more important than whatever this was.

The older man sighed and shook his head, collecting their screens and submitting their signatures. A few moments later, two rings were produced from the machine he had placed their screens on, handing the smaller of the two to her and the other to the general. “Congratulations.”

“What do you mean?” Carine asked, looking at the ring in her hand. She wasn’t stupid, she knew it was going to be for the wedding they would have, but she saw no reason to be congratulated just yet.

The man beside her scoffed, his face twisting into a sneer as he looked down at her. “Do you expect us to have some grand ceremony? A celebration? Something tells me you wanted this marriage just as badly as I did, which is to say, not at all.”

Wait, they were married? Was that it? Simply signing a contract, getting rings, and then a half-assed ‘congratulations’ from some old man she didn’t know? Hells, she didn’t even know the name of the man that was apparently now her  _ husband. _ The weight of the truth of the matter threatened to crush her, bringing hot tears to her eyes. 

None of this was how she imagined getting married would be. Not that she had ever given the idea much thought in the past, she was always far too busy to have a consistent relationship that lasted more than a month or so, but she had at least imagined her sister and mother there with tears in their eyes and happiness in their smiles. But here she was, alone with a man whose name she didn’t know, wondering where Violaine had been taken and if her mother had received the news yet that both her daughters weren’t coming home. 

She took a deep breath and centered herself, looking up at this general with a short nod of her head. “So what now?” she asked, swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. 

“Now I suppose I take you to my apartment.” He frowned as if the thought greatly displeased him.

“Am I allowed to know your name?” she wondered aloud, following behind him as quickly as she was able. 

He paused, nearly making her crash into him with his abrupt stop. “Nero tol Scaeva,” he answered, turning his profile to her and flashing a brilliant smile. “General in the XIVth Legion and second in command to Legatus Gaius van Baelsar.”


	3. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Short and painless...short and painless_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING!
> 
> Didn't feel as if it were enough to make a tag, but there IS non-con clothing removal mentioned in this chapter. Possible partial dubcon/non-con (as I am not entirely sure of the tag for it). I just wanted to make sure there was an adequate warning <3

Nero seemed to prefer silence as they boarded his airship and departed from the outpost. A full moon hung heavy in the sky, stars glittering about on what would have been a lovely night if Carine wasn’t being shipped to someplace she didn’t know with a man that she had already watched murder someone.

The very same one she had just been legally _married_ to.

She was not as content with the silence, her mind racing like Chocobos down the home stretch. She asked questions over and over, changing them up as she went along to fill the overwhelming silence hanging between them.

“Where is my sister?”

Silence. Okay, she would come back to that one later.

“Where are we going?”

“My apartment.”

“Which is where?” she asked. It felt important to know where she would be living now, considering that there was a strong chance she would be staying there tied to this Garlean for the rest of her life.

“Castrum Meridianum, if you must know,” he huffed, looking at the screen before him with intensity. “Do be quiet. I am trying to work.”

His irritated tone probably should have frightened her into submission, but rather it spurred her on. She needed to know where Violaine was taken, and since they had a nice little flight ahead of them, Carine had no issue channeling her younger, annoying self.

“What are you working on?” she asked, leaning closer to take a peek.

Nero quickly shoved her away, hiding his tablet from her and glaring with those cold, callous eyes. “That is absolutely none of _your_ concern,” he spat and stood to relocate to the other side of the ship.

It was clear he didn’t wish to speak to her anymore as he resumed whatever work he was so enthralled by, so she began tapping her foot to release the anxiety building within her. If it weren’t for the fact that she was sitting across from _the_ Nero tol Scaeva, Carine would have greatly considered trying to disarm him and take control of the small ship. It couldn’t be that difficult to fly, she’d wager, considering just how many Garleans knew how to operate the things. The problem was, he was a general and second in command to one of the most powerful and skilled Garleans that she knew of. He was armed, she was not, and considering the gunblade that he had settled close at hand, she would also bet he was prepared for her to try and attack.

 _Oh Blessed Nophica, couldn’t you have granted me better odds?_ She asked her goddess as she continued to tap her heels against the cold, hard floor.

“Would you stop that?” Nero growled, glaring at her from across the way.

“Excuse me for trying to let off some steam,” she said, rolling her eyes in response. She couldn’t stop even if she wanted to, there was simply too much tension in her body. “Please, just tell me about my sister. I need to know…”

Nero closed his eyes, pinching his fingers between his brow and let out a heavy, irritated sigh. “If I tell you, will you shut up and be still?”

“Do you want me to be honest with you?” she shot back defiantly.

“What is her name?” he asked, typing furiously on his screen with a scowl on his face. Was he really going to tell her? Maybe Nophica had blessed her after all.

“Violaine Monteil,” she replied with a shred of hope clinging to her words.

Carine leaned forward, watching Nero typing it out and reading through whatever his screen showed him. At first, his face remained completely impassive until he arched one golden brow as if something interested him. His eyes continued to scan the screen until he scoffed and began to smile.

“‘Twould seem that everyone _indeed_ is to be tested with you Eorzeans,” he shook his head while grinning. “I no longer feel singled out.”

Carine stood and made her way over, hoping to catch a glance at whatever it was that had impressed him so, but the Garlean blocked her and closed out of whatever database he had been searching. “You obviously know where she is. Tell me,” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

“All you need to know is that she is safe and will be well cared for,” he replied.

“That’s what _your_ kind always says when one of us is forced into marrying you.”

His amused face turned to a frown. “You seem to think that I _wanted_ this. I can assure you, this was the last thing I wanted to happen when I arrived here this morning. Now sit. We will be there soon.”

A moment of turbulence nearly unsettled her where she stood, stopping her from arguing with him further as she turned around and took her seat again. In the distance and approaching quickly, were the tall, black spires that pierced the night sky of the castrum they were heading towards. A wave of homesickness washed over her as they descended past the walls that surrounded the base, threatening to make tears spill from her eyes. She willed them back, not wanting her new _husband_ to see her weak and vulnerable, at least not more so than she already appeared.

When they had landed, Nero had wasted no time strolling with determination out of the airship and onto the landing. Carine followed behind like a lost puppy, clinging to the only familiar thing she knew, no matter how dangerous it was or how much it threatened her. Soldiers immediately flanked them, urging her into a quicker pace behind the taller man as they made their way to one of the centermost towers where she assumed he lived.

 _It’s where you will be living too now, don’t forget that,_ she reminded herself as she followed him through the door.

As she had suspected, the tower seemed to be the main living quarters for many of the higher ranked soldiers on base. Most of them saluted the general as he strolled past, not that he paid them any mind as his eyes were consistently glued to the screen in his hands. It was a miracle he seemed to know exactly where he was going and how many steps it took to get there when he stopped in front of an elevator and pressed a button. A moment later and the door wooshed open, allowing them inside where he pushed another button towards the top of the panel.

The doors shut, closing them in the small space with two guards, and then they were shooting up towards the top of the tower. Carine felt light headed at the sudden speed, not used to the technology that was pushing them higher. The moment she thought she was used to it, the elevator came to a halt. As smooth as it was, the Elezen was still quite disoriented as she followed Nero off the machine and into a large suite, leaving the guards behind them.

It was a very minimalist design with few pieces of functional furniture to show what room was possibly what. A stiff looking chair matched by an equally uncomfortable looking couch sat in one corner around a long, rectangular black glass table to mark the sitting room. Bookshelves lined the walls behind them making her believe that Nero possibly enjoyed reading. A few lamps hung from the walls, giving a soft, ambient light to see by; a lovely place to read if that is what he did.

On the other side, past a large window that overlooked the castrum, was a plain kitchen area. White stone countertops were barren save a bowl of fresh looking fruit that sat on the bar in front of black stools that seemed to be the only place to sit and eat. There was an impressive fire oven in the corner, much nicer than the one that Carine’s mother had within their own home in Gridania, but it looked as if it had never been used which made her wonder if he ever cooked or if he preferred to have his meals brought to him. Further investigation showed that there was a sort of coffee machine in a corner and several large, white mugs that sat around it.

Hesitantly she wandered through the open common areas, examining what little there was in decoration while Nero proceeded to type something into a side panel by the door. Her fingers touched the bindings of the books, sad to see that they were all some sort of manuel to magitek and almost all of them authored by him. What kind of person keeps a vast collection of their own work on display?

“Your room is down the hall and on the left,” Nero interrupted her trail of thought.

“You mean we aren’t sharing one?” Carine asked in surprised as she registered his words. She wasn’t disappointed, oh no. Quite the opposite in fact. To have her own room, a small place to keep to herself, might be the only thing to keep her sane in this place.

Nero placed his dragon helmet on the bar and then disappeared down the hall, ignoring her question and leaving her alone in the common area without another word. She stood there, dumbfounded and staring down the hall after him. Was she supposed to follow or wait where she stood? She took a tentative breath and was just about to start making her way to where her room was said to be when he suddenly appeared again, surprising her by his lack of armor.

Not that his clothing now was any less elaborate.

The plain white shirt tied at the top seemed loose and flowy from his body; normal when paired with the cotton breeches that hung low on his hips, but the red and gold and black trimmed robe that he wore over that and the gods awful glasses on his face...Carine could hardly consider the man _fashionable._ She supposed this was his home and he most likely never wore it out in public, gods she _hoped_ he didn’t, but it was still enough of an eyesore that she chose to turn her attention to the bowl of fruit and pick out an apple.

“We should set some ground rules,” Nero said, pulling a pen out of his pocket and a small notepad.

Carine leaned against the counter and raised a silver brow in interest. “Ground rules? I guess marriages have those?” she wondered aloud and then took a big bite from the apple. She hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until the cool, crisp, sweet taste of the fruit caressed her tongue. She really should have eaten the food they had offered back at the outpost.

“First, you are permitted in the common areas and your room only in here. Any other door you are not to open or touch,” he began. Seemed reasonable enough to her, though she did wonder why he would keep so much space locked away from her prying eyes.

 _Enough for an invasion,_ the Lalafell woman’s voice echoed in her mind. Maybe if the Garlean had something worth hiding from her, something he didn’t want her or any other Eorzean to know about...that would make sense.

“Are they locked?” she asked. The last thing she wanted was to accidently open one of those doors in the middle of the night after using the washroom and stumble upon Garlean secrets that were likely to get her executed.

“Of course they are locked,” he rolled his eyes and continued. “You are not to disturb me while I am working. Most of the time I won’t be here, but I do like to bring projects home with me. Disturb me, and you _will_ regret it. Understood?”

Carine nodded, only halfway paying attention as she took another bite of the apple. “Stay away from your rooms and don’t disturb you.”

“Good girl. If you have a question about how any of this magitek works, refer to the manuels on the shelves. I doubt I will have time to instruct you. They should be sufficient so long as you are capable of basic reading comprehension,” he looked up at her then. “You are, aren’t you?”

“Of course I know how to read. We aren’t uneducated barbarians,” she snapped. Oh the nerve of this ass…

“Questionable, but I digress,” Nero turned his attention back to the notepad at hand, jotting things down as he listed everything he expected of her from how clean his apartment should be to how he liked his coffee prepared and _when_ it should be ready. She cautiously eyed the strange machine, wondering just how hard it was going to be to please this man when she noticed that everything he was going on about had to do with _her_ practically working for _him._ It wasn’t a fact she was happy with, but what could she do about it? She was in enemy territory without a friend or family member anywhere nearby. All she had was this apartment and _him._

Suddenly the apple wasn’t as appetizing anymore.

Nero continued on, mostly bringing up the expected behavior of a wife of a Tribune as well as the areas within the Castrum she would be permitted to go freely. Most of their produce and foodstuff, if she chose to cook, could be ordered and delivered to their building for her to pick up, so there was no need for a market. Clothes were handled much the same way, so there was no need for shopping. In fact, from everything he was telling her, she would have no need to leave the tower at all. A bird in a gilded cage, that’s what she was now. Forced to stay locked in her tower like the princesses in fairy tales, only there was no knight in shining armor to save her and grant her freedom.

How could she live like this?

“Any questions?” Nero asked as he finished that particular page of notes. Carine shook her head, knowing that he would either ignore her true queries or berate her for thinking they were good enough to ask anyway. “Good. Now to match you with a job.”

This perked her interest. It may not be what she would have preferred, which was continuing to hunt for materials for her mother or find new plants to bring to her sister, but if she could have something to do with her hands during the day, it might make life somewhat bearable. “I’m allowed to have a job?”

The look on his face let her know he absolutely found her dull and dim, but rather than chastise her for it he simply sighed, “Yes. You are now a legal citizen of Garlemald so you are permitted a job. I have already arranged for you to be tested as a possible soldier due to your apparent knack for combat-”

“I will _not_ fight for Garlemald,” she interrupted him. Carine knew the basics of how these Garleans worked on expanding their vast empire. Every Eorzean knew and feared it. They offered good pay and the promise of citizenship and protection that most of the poor couldn’t refuse and then more and more people rallied to their cause until they finally had a firm foot in the door. Then it was a matter of taking over the market by buying out the smaller businesses and offering more competition until they soon had control of both military and money. It was only a matter of time before they brought the citizens of the country to question their own leadership, and then they could walk in and seize control during the chaos with little bloodshed. It’s what happened in Ala Mhigo twenty years ago and the progress was already beginning in the city-states of the remaining free cities in Eorzea.

Nero seemed unsurprised by her determination and refusal as he shrugged his shoulders and crossed that option off the list. “Very well, but do not be mistaken. You wouldn’t be fighting your own countrymen,” he said. “Tonight, make me a complete list of your skills and preferences and I shall put them into the database to find you a suitable match.”

“Fine.” She had several from singing and playing several different instruments to hunting and gathering. She could do some crafting, but it wasn’t very good despite her mother’s patient lessons.

“As for the consummation of our _union,_ ” he sneered the last word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth and Carine couldn’t help but feel the same way as the little bit of apple she had eaten suddenly seemed to weigh heavy in her stomach. How had she forgotten _that_ part of this arrangement? It’s why the Garleans needed the treaty in the first place, wasn’t it? To spread their seed and expand their empire. _Oh gods,_ she thought, paling as she realized she would have to submit to him whether she was ready to or not, and she certainly had no experience in the matter to even begin to make that sort of decision. Should she inform him? Or just clench her jaw and let him get it over with?

“Since we are required to perform coitus on a regular basis, I believe we can arrange for a once a week interval, making it as short and painless as possible. Agreed?” He asked, his callous eyes examining her. Carine quickly nodded, afraid that using words would make her lose her composure as he approached from across the room.

 _Short and painless...short and painless,_ she chanted to herself as his fingers caressed up her arm, quickening her heart into overdrive within her chest. Her breathing shortened as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to push aside her fear and apprehension at the fact she was about to lose her virginity to a man she had just met.

Nero took her by the arm and lead her down the hall and towards the room she knew would be her own, but she couldn’t see anything other than him in front of her. Thankfully he left the cursed lights off when they entered the room, leading her in and closing the door behind them.

Every nerve in her body was on high alert and her muscles tensed each time his chilled fingers brushed against her. Unsure of what she was supposed to do, Carine stood there with her fingers twisted before her, looking down at the floor all while praying that it would be as short and painless as he promised it would be. She refused to look up as she heard the fabric of his robe hit the floor, and the moment he began pulling at the buttons that kept her shirt in place tears began spilling from her eyes.

Unconsciously she pushed his hands away, but they returned with determination though he said not a word until the fabric was pulled away from her body leaving her bare and chilled in the air of the dark room. With deep, shaky breaths, Carine hurried and pushed her breeches around her ankles and stepped out of them before crawling into the bed and as far from the man before her as possible.

The space between them helped to calm her nerves, but it wasn’t long until she felt the weight of him join her and she knew that this was it. He was going to take her and she was legally bound to allow him. His large hands gently touched her knees, sliding up oh so slowly, but all she could feel was panic threatening to consume her until finally he reached the apex of her thighs.

A broken sob escaped her lips, cutting through the silence that hung heavily around them the moment his fingers touched her where no man had touched her before. Immediately he pulled away, breaking all contact with her as he commanded the lights to come on. Carine covered her face, rolling over and away from him so that he couldn’t see the tears spilling down her cheeks. She knew she wasn’t fooling him, anyone that wasn’t blind could see her sobs as she pulled the cold sheets over her naked body to hide it from him.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It wasn’t right, none of this was right…

“Seven Hells, what is it?” he growled, shuffling around behind her, most likely looking for his clothes. “Another lover? I don’t remember reading about you being engaged or married…”

“No, not that. Just...turn the lights off. I’ll stop, I promise,” she choked, wiping her eyes and forcing herself to calm down by repeating her mantra. _Short and painless._

Nero was silent for several moments and she could feel his gaze at her back when he finally cursed. “You’re innocent. Seven bloody hells…”

She was still far too nervous to look at him, but she didn’t understand why he seemed so angry as he gathered his clothes off the floor and pulled them back on. Carine dared to peek at him over the edge of the blanket covering her face, watching while he made his way to the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked timidly.

“To work.”

Carine frowned and sat up, keeping the sheet firmly pressed around her body. “What do you mean? I thought...I mean, aren’t we _supposed_ -” she stuttered, cheeks burning crimson as she struggled to find the right words.

The Garlean paused, his jaw clenching and unclenching as though he were seeking an appropriate answer for her.

“I have no interest in taking a woman against her will,” he spoke calmly and clearly, no hint of anger in his words as he opened the door.

The Elezen let out a sigh of relief, a fresh wave of happy tears spilling from her eyes as the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. She wanted to thank him, not that she knew how to do that exactly and she wasn’t about to run up to him naked, so she simply smiled.

“Thank you.”

Nero turned his face towards her, his handsome profile frowning as he glared in her direction. “Don’t thank me yet. It’s still my duty to see if you can bare Garlean children. We will discuss our options later.”

And with that, he left her alone on her bed with the sheets pulled to her chin and the joy sucked right from her soul.

 

***

 

Nero cursed himself all the way to the Praetorium on the other side of the castrum. He should have recognized the signs from the moment she flinched at his touch in the kitchen area, but rather he had chalked it up to her wishing she was going to have to sleep with anyone but _him._ The stupid girl had no idea how much she had lucked out in her draw as any other Garlean in Eorzea would not have hesitated in demonstrating her place in this society.

Hells, _he_ should have had no issue with the demonstration process.

He shoved his identification card into the slot and waited for the door to grant him access to the immense laboratory Gaius had been working on in preparation for his arrival and intentions of working on the Ultima Weapon. The general ignored the surprised expressions on his associates faces as he strolled in, taking a magitek screen and flicking through the readings already done on the weapon that was still below ground. He knew he wasn’t expected to be here for at least three days as it was custom to introduce one’s wife to their new lifestyle, but if Gaius van Baelsar had wanted him to obey their common law, he wouldn’t have dangled such a delightful temptation in front of him the moment he arrived on Eorzean soil.

Progress from earlier that morning had been made in unearthing Ultima from its resting place, according to the charts before him. By tomorrow evening, his precious would be sitting on that platform in the center of the room and ready for his evaluation. Just the thought of powering up such an immense weapon sent thrills throughout his body. The recognition he would get for getting such a device to work could potentially promote him to Nero van Scaeva. And to think everyone thought that Cid nan Garlond was the better engineer.

 _He couldn’t even dream of touching such a project,_ he smiled to himself as he looked over the chart again and began calculating how much power it might take to make the Ultima functional. So captivated by his work, the Garlean had paid little attention to the fact he was no longer alone in his little corner.

“I understand that congratulations are in order, Nero,” Gaius said, interrupting his progress. As irritated as this made him, Nero simply turned and beamed at his mentor, setting his screen to the side and saluted the man.

“You can spare me your sympathies.”

“Sympathies? I heard from some of our men that she is lovely,” Gaius said, walking over to the screen and looking down. “And quite an impressive fighter. I assume you are pushing her for military?”

Nero shook his head, “She doesn’t wish to fight for us against her fellows. A shame, really, but I have no intention of pressing the issue. She surely has more to offer than combat skills.”

“And I trust that the reason you are here now is because you have already consummated your marriage?”

It was a trick question, one that any other soldier might fall for had they been asked by the man, but Nero wasn’t stupid, nor was he a liar. Well, unless it suited him, in which case lying to a man that already knew the truth did not.

“Ah yes, about that-” he began, holding up a finger only for his superior to stop him.

“You have a duty to the empire.”

“How quick you are to remind me, Gaius. I simply need more time to gain her trust is all. It seems I have been married to a virtuous woman,” Nero explained plainly.

Gaius van Baelsar studied him closely through his helmet, making his subordinate wish that he would just take the damned thing off so he could see what the man was thinking. It was a shame that everyone seemed attached to their helmets, much more so than him.

“Other soldiers have had virtuous women in the past. That is no excuse, not when they are obligated by the treaty to serve the Empire,” he replied, his voice stern and commanding.

“I personally like to enjoy sex. Somehow I feel it might be ruined by a woman sobbing into a pillow,” said Nero as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Besides, it shouldn’t take long to coax her into wanting it. Look at what she is working with.”

His superior seemed unimpressed by his overall attitude, but Nero just stood there grinning the entire time. “Just get it done. There are other ways to impregnate her if she remains unwilling.”

Nero made a face at that. It was bad enough that he was now tied to a woman he held no interest in, but to visit the medical plaza and make a particular _deposit_ there so they could inseminate her that way was far more unappealing to him than just attempting to seduce her. Still, he nodded like the good Garlean he was, assuring his commander that he would do whatever it took to get the job done.

He did wonder just what his little wife would think of such an offer, perhaps it would be more appealing to impregnate herself, but he hardly imagined it would be. If she were already twenty-five years of age with no sexual experience of note, then something told him her idea of expanding her family was not high on her list of priorities. It certainly wasn’t even _on_ his list, especially now with the Ultima project in his hands.

Nero simply wasn’t in an appropriate place to be a husband or father, but it wasn’t as though the Empire cared if its subjects were ready. They wanted results, and with their declining numbers, they wanted every able bodied Garlean to make his wife into a baby factory as quickly as possible. And that desire would now cut into his dedication to the sciences and piecing together this marvelous work the Allagans had long since abandoned when their empire fell.

He pushed the thought of the Elezen that was hopefully dressed now and resting after her long, stressful day and focused on his calculations at hand. _Now, what energy source are you likely to run on, my pretty…_


	4. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why Gaius, we buy her with _love_.”

It took less than a day in the apartment for Carine to absolutely lose her mind. She was a busy body by nature, always on the move whether it be hunting for food and pelts or gathering material. She had never been a bookworm, seeing as she constantly had to be on the move and challenging her mind and body through physical activity, so after reading two of those boring manuals Nero seemed so damn proud of, she tossed them to the side and began tinkering with the coffee machine. 

It seemed simple enough for her. Place the beans in through the top, press this button here to grind them up and then this one to heat the water...or was it that one? It took several tries and half the bag of bland coffee beans before she got it right, and even then it tasted like complete shit. There was no way this was how he liked his coffee, and if it was, she felt sorry for the poor thing. 

Carine even attempted cleaning, but the way he had specified doing it meant she had to use his inventions. Rather than a simple straw broom like she was used to using, there was some sort of hose attached to a machine with small bristles at the end. A flip of a switch and it made such a gods awful noise she had no choice but to abandon that duty. It wasn’t as though there was much trash or dirt on the floor anyway. 

With the magitek inventions scaring her or confusing her and finding the reading material to be absolute nonsense, Carine elected to just have a nice soak in the tub. It was a relief that she hadn’t had to ask Nero where the washroom was since he had left before showing or telling her, but it wouldn’t have been needed anyway. There was a panel on one wall that opened with a push of a button to reveal a rather large washroom complete with a tub, freestanding shower, and toilet. 

The tub itself was a simple design. All she had to do was turn the handle to let the water in, drop in some of the bubblebath that had been stocked with her in mind (she assumed anyway, unless Nero liked bubble baths himself), and then a button on the side would churn the water around her. She had no fear in stripping down to nothing and stepping into the steaming water, given that her Garlean husband wouldn’t be home for another several hours if she had to guess. The least she could do was try and soak away any and all worries before he brought the tension home with him. 

As she soaked and washed her body and hair, Carine allowed herself to think of her mother and wonder what she was doing right now. She prayed that Nophica would watch over her and calm her fears and worries, but deep down she knew that the woman had to be suffering. Nero had promised that Violaine was safe, but there was no similar promise for her Mama. Both she and Violaine had been her caretakers, her personal helpers in making sure that her business would run smoothly. Who was caring for her now? 

And Buck. Poor Buck. He was probably so lost without her right now. Carine had cared for the Chocobo ever since he had hatched from an egg. The two of them were inseparable to the point the giant bird made sure he traveled with her on hunting expeditions despite having no proper training. Everything they did, everything they learned, was together. 

She allowed herself to cry freely in the comfort of her washroom. She missed the tall trees of the Shroud, the waves of La Noscea, and the desert of Thanalan. It seemed impossible that she would have taken all of it for granted, but how could someone know what they had until they lost it all? 

And Carine had indeed lost it all. 

The rest of the afternoon was long and seemingly would never end. She read through more of the manuals, her eyes looking over the pages while her brain was back in the dense foliage of Gridania with her fellow God’s Quiver companions. She had watched the sunset on the horizon, its natural beauty obstructed by the towers that pierced the sky. 

By the time Nero had arrived home, Carine had made a fresh pot of the coffee he supposedly enjoyed and had curled herself onto the stiff couch with her own mug. It wasn’t good, not nearly as good as what she could make with the beans she had stored in her room from Limsa Lominsa back in her mother’s cottage, but it would do to satisfy the emptiness in her stomach. 

Because, of course a man that spent only his sleeping hours in his apartment wouldn’t have any food for her to eat and he hadn’t bothered to give her any gil to buy food for herself.

He paid no attention to her as he walked in, reading whatever it was on his screen with such an intensity it was a wonder his face didn’t always look that way. Again, he surprised her by knowing exactly how many steps it took to reach his coffee pot and just when to stop pouring the hot liquid without ever looking up from his screen. Nervously she waited to see if he approved of the way she made it, but he gave no indication that it tasted good or bad. 

He could not be that indifferent to something so bland, surely.

The Garlean took a seat in the chair across from her, not once acknowledging her presence and continued reading. Carine stared at him, wondering if he could feel her gaze and if it made him uncomfortable. 

She wondered just how uncomfortable she could make him. 

“How was work, sweetie?” she asked, crooning as she imagined wives did to their husbands when they arrived after a long day of work. Her father had died before she had really had the chance to know him, so she didn’t have much reference to work with, but she  _ did _ have an imagination. 

Nero lifted his eyes, glaring at her over those terrible spectacles he insisted on wearing. “I’m working.”

“But you just got home from work. In Eorzea, that means you are done for the day,” she said, leaning forward and quirking up the corner of her mouth in a slight smile. 

“My work follows me home.”

“Well, I’m bored and have been all day,” she argued. At that moment, her stomach chose to growl loudly, reminding her she was also hungry. 

Nero let out a sigh, “Have you eaten today?”

“You don’t have food here other than fruit and I don’t have any money so I couldn’t order food.”

Nero closed his eyes, pinching his fingers against his brow and shook his head. “You are my  _ wife _ by law. You just bloody tell them that and they charge it to my account,” he informed her with an exasperated sigh. “And you wonder why we consider you uneducated.”

It was her turn to glare at him. He didn’t have to be so damned rude when he hadn’t explained the basics of how everything worked around here. Back home it was simple. You went out, bought your food right then and took it home. There was no placing an order or charging to an account. Besides, it did good for one to be moving. Walking and talking to other people besides being lost in a stupid piece of machinery all day. 

When it was clear that he had no intentions of ordering food for her, Carine stood and went to the panel beside the door and began flicking through the menu available. Her stomach rumbled again, and a sly smile spread upon her lips. Charged to his account, huh? Soon she was pressing whatever foods sounded most appealing, everything from antelope steaks to several different deserts. If her life was going to be hell from being cooped up all day long until he found her a job, she was going to make his life just as bad. 

Satisfied with her order, she pressed the send button and walked herself back to her seat with a smug grin. “How is the coffee?” 

“Satisfactory.”

“You mean it’s shit,” she corrected him. “I did what the manual said, but there is only so much you can do with shit beans. If you would let me go out-”

“No. Rules are rules. Wives are not permitted to leave the Castrum for any reason,” he cut her off.

Carine scowled, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. It had been at least worth a try. “But there  _ are _ better beans out there, just so you know.”

The Garlean ignored her, muttering something under his breath as he took another sip of his bland black coffee and continued to read. What in Nophica’s name was so interesting that he couldn’t be bothered to hold a simple conversation with her? She tried to read backwards, being able to see through the transparent screen in his hands, but the language was unknown to her. Probably why he had no issue with having it out for her prying eyes to see. A taunt if there ever was one. 

Several minutes passed, and then Nero’s screen lit up and beeped. He furrowed his brow together while she looked at him curiously. His face went from confusion to outright bewilderment in the blink of an eye as he glared at her. 

“How much food did you order?” he exclaimed, pointing at the screen as if it were supposed to mean something to her. Carine just beamed, flashing him her most brilliant smile and jumped up to skip to the elevator that was now dinging on the other side of the room. Nero followed closely behind her, stomping with determination to intercept her before she could accept the ridiculous amount of food. Fortunately for her, she was just a bit quicker.

“I am  _ not _ paying for that,” he said to the cowering Miqo’te that was standing there amongst bags and bags filled with food. Accompanying him were two guards, each of them also loaded with bags to the point it was comical. 

“Of course we are, my love,” she said, smiling sweetly and batting her lashes at him. The people in the elevator were dumbfounded at the scene before them as Carine assisted the Miqo’te in bringing each dish into the kitchen while Nero fumed silently from the sidelines. 

It took a few minutes to bring everything in, and then Carine made a point to tip the delivery boy handsomely for all the hard work. All it took was the simple click of a button and then he and the confused guards were back on the elevator and descending to the lower levels of the tower. 

She wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the Garlean glaring at her with everything he had when she turned back around to him. It had been the point to irritate him since he had blatantly ignored her and left her alone and locked in a tower without any entertainment. 

“This will not happen again,” he warned her, his tone low and dangerous. Carine swallowed and nervously licked her lips as she realized that she may have acted a bit irrationally, but it was too late to take it back now. 

“Perhaps my eyes overwhelmed my stomach.” She wouldn’t apologize for her antics, but she could at least sort of admit she was in the wrong. 

All he could do was shake his head and return to his screen, furiously pressing on it until he gave a satisfied nod. “I’ve limited the budget for food to a more reasonable amount and all other spending from you will be monitored closely.”

Carine winced. She should have expected that, but she hadn’t been thinking clearly or rationally. Her stomach growled again, forcing her to look through everything she had ordered before settling on a juicy medium rare steak paired with roasted garlic popoptos and greens that smelled absolutely divine. Unfortunately the smell was the only really decent thing about the dish, because just like the coffee beans Nero had, the food was ultimately bland. If she hadn’t been so hungry and hadn’t made such a fuss over ordering so much food, she never would have finished the plate. 

When she was finished, she made a point to put all the food away. Anything that could be left out, she stuck in some of the cabinets above the counters, seeing as nothing was stored there anyway, and everything else in the cold box in the corner. All the while Nero watched her, simmering in his anger until she had completely wiped everything down to its previous spotless condition.

“Satisfied with your little outburst?” he asked as she took a seat on the couch. 

“Maybe, if the food had actually been any good. How can you stand to eat such a bland diet? Haven’t you Garleans ever heard of herbs and spices?”

“They aren’t necessary, and soldiers can hardly afford the luxury of well seasoned food,” he pointed out. He wasn't wrong there. When she had been serving with the Twin Adders during the last assault from the Garleans, the taste of the food hadn’t been a high priority, but they had been at war then. Supposedly they weren’t at war now, so why shirk on a simple resource readily available practically all over Eorzea just outside their stupid walls? It made no sense to her that they could afford this comfort of living in tall towers and yet deny their taste buds simple pleasures. 

“You would change your mind if you allowed me to gather fresh, high quality ingredients,” she stated, looking down at her nails. 

“For the last time, even if I had the authority to allow you out of here, I would not do it because it is against the law,” Nero snapped, standing from his spot and turning on his heels down the hallway. Carine flinched as his door slammed shut, signaling the end of their conversation which only angered her. 

With a frustrated scream, she ripped off her ring and threw it as hard as she could down the hall, hoping that he heard it. “I just want to go home!”

Tears stung at her eyes as she stomped her way into her room, slamming the door behind her, knowing her pleas fell on deaf ears. 

 

***

 

“I cannot take it anymore!” Nero fumed, pacing to and fro in front of Gaius as he sat on his throne. Livia stood behind him, watching his every movement and most likely taking pleasure in his discomfort, much like his fucking  _ wife. _

For days she had been making his life a living hell. From rearranging the furniture just an ilm off so he would trip up as he walked in through the door to singing loudly at night while showering. Or singing loudly in general, as she had taken a notion to do. He was now coming home to her underthings hanging on the backs of his chairs to dry, wet towels on the floor in front of his room and, if she didn’t put his books back in their  _ proper _ order on their  _ proper _ shelf, they were scattered all over the place next to half-full coffee mugs, their pages stained with her carelessness. 

He had tried to pair her with different jobs, but nothing suited his little wench. Which was what had brought him to his superior to begin with. Nero wasn’t one to often ask for advice when a problem presented itself. He would rather work through it in a careful, scientific manner until it was resolved, but Carine was on a whole other level. He needed to know his options. 

“And what would you have me do? She is your wife,” Gaius said, tapping his fingers on the arm of his throne. 

He didn’t have an answer because he didn’t know. There were only so many things he could do to keep her in line, but none of them were remotely interesting to him. Many of his own subordinates might consider him a heartless bastard, but the man took care of what was his. Damaging the woman wasn’t an option, especially if there was a chance she might turn on him. Very few women that were matched were capable of fighting off a single Garlean soldier. Carine had defeated ten in just a single fit of impulsive rage, holding onto enough control as to not kill or critically injure any them. 

Nero wasn’t interested in seeing that turned on him. He knew if he wanted her to learn to trust him and perhaps put those impressive skills to use in their own army, he would need to give into some of her demands. So he began weighing his options and looking for any loopholes in the system that would make her more amiable for the time being, at least until the Ultima Weapon was complete.

The issue at hand was convincing Gaius that his plan was feasible. 

“Perhaps if there were a way to keep her in line and use her to our advantage? Something that would serve us far more than it would her?” He asked, holding his chin in his hand.

“Speak plainly, Nero. We do not have time for your theories,” Livia ordered, speaking to him as if she were his better all because of her marriage to the Legatus. Normally, he would argue with her, testing her resolve and composure simply for the pleasure of it, but his own patience was worn thin, and her voice was likely to grate what was left of his nerves. 

“I’m suggesting we use her to find the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.”

The hall grew remarkably quiet, his words echoing through the chamber. He had expected as much from his mentor as the man rarely spoke without thinking his words through and contemplating the best answer. While Nero had suggested making an exception to a firm law, he had also thrown a bone by mentioning the bane of Gaius’ existence. 

A giant wyrm may have prevented Gaius from invading Eorzea twenty years ago for Emperor Solus, but it had been the blasted Scions that had stopped him the second time and forced him into this treaty. 

“I trust you have thought this through?” the Legatus asked, leaning forward in his seat with interest. 

Nero’s lip curled into a devious smile, pleased to have appealed to his mentor. “Do I ever do anything in half measures?”

Livia took this moment to descend the stairs, walking with determination as she approached him. He couldn’t see her eyes, naturally, as the woman wore her helm as if it were a part of her natural anatomy, but he could feel the distrust radiating off her as she addressed him. 

“You only ever do things that suit you, Nero. Gaius is no fool.”

“I never implied he was,” Nero shrugged his shoulders. “And of course I would suggest something that I benefit from since, at the moment, my  _ beloved _ wife is keeping me from devoting my time to find a way to power up the Ultima Weapon without draining our own power supplies.”

He looked past her to Gaius, hoping that he would be permitted to speak further on the matter, or if the man would allow his own bride to continue harassing him. The Legatus nodded, motioning for him to continue. Nero smiled at Livia, stepping around her to better tell his superior his plan. 

“I read through her profile. The woman has access to all three city-states, almost unrestricted. Now, imagine this,” he began, pointing to his palm. “Every woman matched to a Garlean hasn’t returned home, well, with the exception of those that have not been able to conceive with their husbands in the allotted time frame that is. If we allowed her to go back to her mother, the Scions are likely to take notice.”

“Wouldn’t they have taken notice of the several women who were already sent back for not being able to produce viable Garlean offspring?” Livia interrupted. Oh he did hate to have her constantly riding his back on every single little detail, questioning his every motive as if his goal was to bring down the Empire himself. It didn’t seem to matter to her that he had risen from nothing and earned his place as  _ her superior. _

“I’m sure they have, however they are privately funded and most of those women have been compensated by our treasure coffers. Loyalty is bought, dear Livia,” he explained. 

“And how do you propose you buy your wife’s loyalty?” Gaius spoke up. “She does not seem the sort to submit. If we allow her out of the gates, how are we to be sure that she will turn on her fellow people by revealing the location of the only group openly fighting against us? She could just as well join their forces and turn the tables on us.”

Nero grinned, flashing a bright smile as he brought his hands together. “Why Gaius, we buy her with  _ love. _ ”

 

***

 

Carine was laid out on the couch, taking her time to bend the precious crisp pages of one of the few manuals of Nero’s that she hadn’t stained as she waited patiently for him to return home. The man had been on edge ever since she had ordered the obscene amount of food, and it had only gotten worse as she had continued to act out in defiance of being stuck in this bloody tower without a way to unleash her tension. The only comfort she had was knowing that he had no interest in touching her, and despite killing someone that had hurt her during her first impression of him, he seemed rather content to not be violent towards her. 

And so she had pushed her limits, testing him to see how far she could go before he broke and did something about their current situation. Carine had thought she had him when he woke to find that she had spilled coffee all over his manual on the vacuum thing she hadn’t quite figured out if she liked or not...and that  _ had _ truly been an accident on her part. Still, the way he skipped out on his typical morning coffee by marching out in a rage had put a smile on her face.

She jumped when the elevator pinged, announcing his arrival. Immediately she began humming a jaunty tune, knowing how much her made up songs annoyed him. What she hadn’t expected was the man walking in with a large bouquet of flowers in his hands. 

Carine wasn’t sure if it was the smile on his face or the easy nature in which he entered the room that frightened her, but this change certainly made her uneasy to the point the tune died on her lips. Nero strolled in, placing the flowers on the table and taking his seat in his chair, smiling at her with a look she didn’t like. Not one bit. 

“Did something happen at work?” she dared ask, pushing herself to the other end of the couch to give them space apart. 

“I found you a job. One I think you will quite enjoy,” he replied cheerfully. 

Carine had no interest in knowing what job he had found her that had pleased him enough to make him friendly towards her, but she couldn’t help but ask. “What is it?”

“You are worried for your mother, yes? It must be terrible for her to run that business all on her own since you and your sister were Drafted,” he said gently. Too gently. She didn’t like the fact he was bringing her mother into this and felt her hand clench in her lap in response. 

“I swear to the Twelve and all holy things if you think you are going to bring my mother-” she began, standing and jabbing her finger in his face.

He shook his head and slapped her finger away. “Sit down. By the Allagans, do you ever think before you react? I am trying to tell you that you are being permitted to go and work with your mother again.”

Carine felt her heart stop in her chest and suddenly unable to take a full breath. Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly. This had to be a dream, a terrible one that would make her wake to tears staining her pillow when the reality of her situation crashed on her in waves. She did as he said, sinking back onto the couch and watching him carefully, looking for any sign that this was some mistake or joke or some other cruel intention of his to make her submit. 

“You’re lying.”

Nero seductively curled his lips into a half smile as he leaned in closer, resting his elbows on his knees. “I am a great many things, but liar is not one of them.”

“Then what’s the catch?” she scowled. There was little doubt that he wanted something in this exchange and Carine wasn’t stupid enough to agree to something without getting all the details first. Well, not usually. 

He laughed, a surprisingly pleasant sound as he tossed his head back before nodding in her direction. “A clever girl. Of course there is a catch. Several, in fact.”

“And they are?”

“First and foremost, you are to keep an ear out for news of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn,” he said, watching for her reaction. 

Carine knitted her brows together in confusion. She knew the name, all Eorzeans did, but she couldn’t think of why he would be interested in knowing about their movements. They were small enough that she knew no one that knew any of them, and most weren’t even aware of what their specific purpose was. Fighting Garleans? Or fighting Primals? She had a hard time believing they had the resources to do both.

“I can try, but I wouldn’t know where to begin asking. They tend to keep to themselves. Why do you need to know about them?” she asked. 

“They present a problem for us. Being a freelance group, the city-states have no control over their actions against the treaty and understandably they do not seek to put an immediate stop to their plots against us,” he explained. 

“Ah, so you want me to spy for you so you can eliminate the one group that can possibly stop you from invading our country?” Carine raised a brow, smiling as a wave of surprise crossed his handsome features only to be snuffed out by a smug grin.

“Contrary to Eorzean belief, we have no intention of invading your quaint little country,” he said, turning his eyes towards the window. 

“And here you said you weren’t a liar.”

“There are bigger problems than us, you know. Your beast tribes are rising up, gathering aether crystals and attempting to summon their Primals,” he pointed out, making her pale at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to face another bloody Primal after what she had witnessed Bahamut do on the fields of Carteneau. “I take it you understand the threat they present? Good. They are a threat to us as well and we have every intention on making sure they do not rise to power again. The Scions seem to have this same desire, however they have better means of obtaining this information than we do. Which is where you come in.”

“What else is there? I’m sure there is more than just me listening for information on Primals to make up for allowing me out of these walls,” she asked, feeling sick. She felt as though there was more he wasn’t telling her just from the glint in those pale blue eyes, but he likely wouldn’t tell her if she asked, or would evade the question completely by giving her half answers. 

“You will have a curfew, of course. Searched before you leave and upon your return,” he said as he picked at his nails. “And there is the matter of our duty we have yet to complete.”

Carine swallowed, her heart rate speeding up within her chest as she remembered the first night she had stayed here. She knew it was only a matter of time before it was brought up again, but how could she even begin to prepare for it? “What about it?” she asked cautiously. 

“Don’t you worry, little wife. I still have no interest in taking you against your will, however I propose that you allow me the opportunity to maybe change your mind,” he explained.

“I doubt that will happen,” she snorted, averting gaze from his. “And I have the feeling I interest you as much as you do me.”

“You know me so well already. We truly are married,” he chuckled. “I do not find you unappealing. On the contrary I am luckier than many of my subordinates that have been matched through the Draft, however I am still a man of Garlemald and have a duty to uphold whether I like it or not. I would rather that duty be as enjoyable as possible, and that would require some willingness on your part.”

She considered this, her mind mulling over the possibilities. To be able to return home every day, even if she had to come back here, all she had to do was listen for news of the Scions (which probably also meant infiltrating them if she had to guess) and sleep with Nero. More than likely there were other things attached to these stipulations considering that Drafted wives were not allowed to leave the Castrums unless their marriage became null due to infertility issues or not producing Garlean children within the set five years, but what would it make her if she gave the Garleans information that could get fellow Eorzeans killed?

“I can’t. I won’t turn against my fellow people just to see my mother again,” she shook her head sadly. Her mother wouldn’t ask it of her just to see her face again, Carine knew that much. The last thing she wanted was for her to be disappointed in turning on them. That would destroy her more than living cooped up in this tower with nothing to do all day.

“I was afraid you might say that,” Nero let out a deep sigh and stood, pulling a node from his belt and holding it out. His thumb pressed a button on the side, revealing a screen for Carine to see. 

It took a few moments for the Elezen to understand what she was looking at, but soon her eyes recognized her mother’s cottage. There were the stables where it looked like Buck was sleeping and then there was the window that it seemed her mother was looking out of right at that moment.

“What is this?” Carine asked, panic rising in her voice as she pushed herself to the edge of her seat. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because you need to understand the power I hold in my hands, dearest  _ wife, _ ” he sneered. 

She didn’t know what he was about to do or say, but she wouldn’t let him finish that train of thought. “I’ll do it!” she exclaimed, falling to her knees before him. “I’ll do it, just don’t hurt her, please.”

His lips twisted into an evil grin in triumph. The loss felt like a dagger in her gut, twisting and tearing as she made herself give into his demands. There were a great many things she could endure, but threatening the life of the one woman that had sacrificed  _ everything _ for her family, she just couldn’t allow that to stand. 

“Excellent. I shall inform Gaius at once,” he replied cheerfully, clapping his hands together and standing.

Carine glared at him through the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, lips trembling in anger and hatred for the man she was forced to call her husband. “I will not forget this, Nero. One day, you will regret threatening my family,” she warned, hands clenched into fists at her side. 

He turned to her, smiling that charming half-smile that she wanted to rip off his face. “Who said anything about threatening her?” he asked. “Had you let me finish, you would have known that I was going to offer her full Garlean protection, should your suspicions of our imminent invasion prove true.”

Carine didn’t know whether to believe him or call him a liar again, but she did manage to keep herself from punching his pretty face. 

“Oh, and before I forget,” he went on, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the black and silver ring that she had thrown down the hall several nights ago. “Do try not to lose it. Or break it. Again.”

She stood there, eyes focused on the wedding band he had clearly taken the time to fix as he disappeared into his room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.


	5. Visiting Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smell of the rich, black coffee mingled with his breath overwhelmed her, and the pull of his hands against her cheek nearly made her melt against him though they were sitting in separate chairs. Carine didn’t want to kiss him back, at least not at first, but inevitably she was finding herself intoxicated by the consuming being that was Nero tol Scaeva. Before she knew it, she was pressing herself closer to him, moving her lips against his and hating herself because, by the Twelve, he was _good at it._

Carine waited at the gate the next morning, the Garlean guards taking their time going through her bag to make sure there was nothing important or incriminating from the castrum within. Nero had just left the building when she had woken to prepare for heading back to her homestead, but he had made sure to leave a note behind reminding her of the procedures to follow. The pack she had procured from the ground level of the tower with the hopes of being able to bring things back to make her gilded cage seem more like home. It didn’t matter to the guards that it was as empty as it could be, they still had to check every flap and crevice before scanning her to ensure she was hiding nothing on her person.

When they were satisfied, they loaded her onto an airship and transported her to New Gridania, dropping her off at the landing zone there. She could see from her window the people below staring up at the ship, pointing their fingers or looking at each other in terror. While Garleans were allowed access to the different landing zones in each city-state, they rarely used them on a regular basis unless they were transporting troops, materials, or Drafted wives. Though the last Draft had been nearly a week ago, there was no reason to fear another. That didn’t stop the women from rushing away at the sight as she landed. 

She wrapped her cloak around her, pulling the hood over her head to hide her face as she made her way up the staircase to where Carline Canopy was located. She hesitated at the top of the stairs, looking out at the dim lighting provided by lamps that hung to the walls and overhead, casting gentle shadows over the mostly barren tables that were scattered throughout the establishment. The few people within the tavern were adventurers coming to collect work for the day from Miounne. Others were the typical patrons that wanted a nice, hot morning breakfast they didn’t have to prepare themselves. 

It seemed good a time as any for Carine to make herself known. If what Nero had said was correct, the first public showing would generate enough rumors to pique the Scions interest. More daily showings would solidify those rumors and urge them into seeking her out. She prayed that wouldn’t be the case as she approached the bar and sat on a stool, waving for Miounne to take notice of her.

The Elezen woman nodded, barely glancing at her while she poured tea for one of her many adventurers before turning her attention to Carine. “Tea? Coffee? Pick your poison,” she said cheerfully, drying a mug with a bright, white towel. 

“Mother Miounne, you know I have always preferred your tea to your coffee,” Carine replied with a gentle smirk. 

Miounne jumped, the mug falling from her fingertips and crashing to the wood flooring. The glass shattered, followed by intense silence as the few people in the tavern turned to look at their bartender. The Elezen stared at Carine, wide-eyed and awestruck as if she were looking at a ghost. She might as well have been, as far as she was concerned. 

“Carine?” she whispered, glancing nervously around the room while reaching for the dustpan to clean up the mess. The adventurers went back to their hushed whispers, occasionally looking over their shoulders and wondering who it was that Miounne was speaking to. 

“‘Tis good to see you,” Carine replied warmly, tears blurring her vision. It was hard to realize that she was back where she belonged; that she was home.

“I can’t believe you are here. I thought you had been Drafted,” Miounne said quietly, reaching for a teacup and saucer. 

Carine watched as the woman poured her tea, dropping a sugar lump in and a dash of milk, just the way she liked it. She brought the cup to her lips, inhaling the scent and closing her eyes as she took a sip. A moan reverberated in her throat as it hit the spot, reminding her of everything she had dearly missed. 

“No one makes tea like you,” she said, thanking the woman and took another sip. “And yes, I was Drafted. Violaine too.”

“How are you here? No one gets Drafted and returns. No one except those that haven’t been able to, you know…” Miounne said. “And unless those Imperials have made the perfect test to see their odds, you shouldn’t be on this side of the walls.”

Carine knew that this would be a bit of trouble. She wasn’t supposed to actively seek out the Scions; it would have been like waving a giant red flag and telling the Scions she was bad news, but wait for word to reach them so they would come to her. The trouble was having a believable story that the average citizen would accept. Nero had apparently left this part up to her, probably to test her ability to think on the fly and keep a cover story. It would also make  _ her _ the real enemy if she was caught in her lie. 

“Honestly? Unusual circumstances,” she began, sliding her finger along the lip of the cup. “Apparently I married high up. And by high up, I mean I married the guy that’s second in command to Gaius van Baelsar.”

Carine thought that Miounne was going to drop the entire tea kettle when she finished her statement, and one look at her face told her all she needed to know. That little bit of information had been enough for her to believe, and it hadn’t even been a lie. 

“So, you convinced him to let you out? Don’t you think he has some way of tracking you?” she asked, making Carine stop and consider.  _ Was _ it possible that he was tracking her every movement? How would he have gone about such a thing? Was there something in the stupid Garlean manufactured clothes or was it…

The ring. 

It had to be. She had thrown it and it  _ had _ cracked because the tiny accessory had been cheaply made. Proof of the value that the Garleans put on marriage, it seemed, but this one that he had brought back to her?  _ That _ was metal. Heavy enough to remind her of what she was, who she was bound to and what her new life entailed. She had thought it was just a way to keep her from breaking it again the next time she decided to throw a tantrum, but now? Now she wasn’t so sure. 

“I’m sure he is. It took me all week of driving him insane to make this happen. I’m sure he wouldn’t let me go without some form of leash,” she shrugged her shoulders, looking down at the ring. She wondered if it was just a tracker, or if there was more to it than that. Knowing Nero, it most likely was. He never seemed to do anything half-assed. 

“It just seems so-” Miounne paused, leaning onto the bar and giving Carine a good look. “Impossible. What about your sister?”

Carine shook her head sadly and tugged at her lower lip with her teeth. “They took her somewhere else. Nero won’t tell me where, but she is safe. He promised me that much.”

“How safe can it be living with one of  _ them? _ ” the other woman sneered. 

_ Safer than you might think, _ Carine thought to herself, thinking back on the night that Nero had allowed her to keep her virtue. Even now he claimed to have no interest unless she changed her mind, though she had agreed to give him the bloody chance to  _ try, _ but that wasn’t the point. Hopefully whoever Violaine had ended up with would be just as good to her as Nero was to Carine. 

“Can I pay you back for this when I come back through? They took my things when they took me and I wasn’t permitted to bring any gil from the castrum,” Carine asked, looking down at her empty cup.

Miounne held up a hand and shook her head, “it’s on the house. So you have to go back?” she asked, giving her a sorrowful look. 

“Every afternoon, but for now I am allowed out during the day to help Mama with her job and keeping up the cottage. Speaking of, how is she holding up?” 

“Not so good. I’ve made a point to bring her a few dishes every day, but even then she doesn’t eat much. Just stares out the window. Cancelled all her appointments until further notice too, if what I heard is correct,” Miounne informed her with a sigh. “Hurry on and go to her. The rest of us can wait.”

The two Elezen waved goodbye to each other, Miounne giving Carine a few gil to rent a Chocobo from the stables nearby to hurry to her cottage in the Lavender Beds where her mother was surely at. She caused quite the stir as people stopped and stared, recognizing her as she made her way to the stables. Even there, the porters were dumbfounded, their tongues twisted and tied as they tried to ask the right questions. 

For the most part she had to ignore them. If she chose to engage in conversation with every confounded citizen of Gridania, she would never make it to her mother’s cottage in time to help her get things back into a proper order before having to leave again. Overall, besides the strange stares and plethora of questions from people that had known her from before, the trip from New Gridania to her mother’s cottage was rather smooth. 

Upon her arrival, Carine immediately noticed that the grass was already well over it’s typical manicured length her mother preferred it to be kept. Wildflowers dotted the lawn, inviting honey bees and butterflies to their colorful petals while the breeze gently rocked them back and forth. She dismounted from the rental Chocobo and lead it to the small stable where Buck and Rose stayed. She had to nearly hold her nose as she approached for clearly the stables hadn’t been cleaned in some time. Carined tied the bird outside and took a deep breath as she went between the stalls to let the other two out. 

Rose was the first to notice her, her light pink head poking out over the stable door in curiosity of who was coming to visit them. The giant bird kweh’d at her eagerly, flapping her large wings and chirping in appreciation as she recognized the woman opening her stall door. Carine had barely had it open before the impatient bird took off for the grass and the sunlight, glad to be free from the confines of her smelly stall. 

Buck was not quite so eager, for the blue giant never poked his head over the door to greet his old friend, breaking the young woman’s heart. Carine looked over and saw him lying on his bed of straw, neck curled back so he could bury his face in his wing. Dull blue feathers littered the bottom of his stall, a product of the stress and anxiety he had been feeling since being cooped up and losing his companion. 

She crooned at him, talking slowly and gently to garner his attention. The Chocobo lifted his head, peeking one dark eye from behind his wing to look at her before stretching out his neck in her direction as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The ungraceful nut stumbled onto his overlarge feet, chirping and making all kinds of noise, telling her everything that he wanted to say though the Elezen couldn’t understand a word of it. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him in for a hug she was desperately needing at the moment. 

Carine walked him out, letting him bask in the sunlight of this beautiful day with Rose while she made her way towards the cottage. The stable was in bad need of being cleaned and sanitized, but she needed to check on her mother first. She hadn’t even made it to the steps before she looked up and saw the woman standing in the doorway, looking down at her in disbelief. 

The two of them stood there for what felt like an eternity, eyes not blinking in fear that the brief moment they would look away from each other, they would realize it was nothing but a dream. Carine could see the thick lines of worry that now wrinkled her mother’s face, making her appear years older than she was. Her silver hair hung limply around her pointed face and her once brilliant blue eyes were now almost a dull grey. She felt as though she were looking at a completely different person, an old crone who was frail and weak rather than the strong, vibrant woman that had raised both her and Violaine on her own.

“Hi Mama,” Carine spoke first, breaking the silence that hung around them. She attempted to smile, but instead began sobbing as her mother reached for her, hurrying down the steps until she had collapsed in her daughter’s waiting arms. 

Neither of them said anything for several minutes as they cried into each other, Carine’s mother holding her face and wiping the tears as they flowed freely down her cheeks while she hugged onto her as tightly as she could.

“You came back. My baby came back,” her mother cried, holding onto her for all she was worth. “How?”

Rather than answer her right away, Carine lead her mother back up the steps to the swing on the porch, holding her arm and making sure she was comfortable before sitting beside her. Once they were both situated, Carine began explaining everything that had happened since they had left her in the marketplace. She told her about Violaine being matched first, and then her trying to stop them from taking her, and then how she was Drafted herself. She admitted to fighting Garleans in an attempt to keep them from shipping her sister to who knows where, and then how she met Nero. 

All the while her mother listened patiently, though fear and worry clouded her face. When she was done, the older woman gently squeezed her hands and smiled, radiating so much joy despite the position they were in. 

“How long? How long are you back for?” her mother asked. 

“I have to go back every afternoon, but I can come home every day so long as there isn’t some sort of obligation that I have to uphold,” Carine replied. 

“And how is it that you are able to come home? No one comes home. Violaine hasn’t come home.” Fresh tears began forming at the corners of her eyes and Carine wiped them away.

She wasn’t going to lie to her mother. “You won’t be happy with me, Mama. I had to agree to do something I’m not proud of in order to see you and protect you,” she answered, thinking back to the previous night that Nero had showed her the video feed of her mother sitting at the window. He may have said that he was offering the woman protection, but Carine knew better than to believe that. She had witnessed him kill a man without a second thought the day she first met him. Her mother wasn’t even a Garlean so she had no doubt he wouldn’t hesitate in killing her for some personal gain. 

“Honey, I know what the Draft entails, we all do,” her mother said, mistaking what her daughter meant. 

Carine shook her head. “No, Mama. It’s not  _ that. _ I had to agree to be a spy for them. To find the Scions of the Seventh Dawn,” she corrected her. 

The older woman pressed her lips together, peeling her gaze from her daughter’s and looking down at the ground. It broke Carine’s heart to see her disappointed, but she didn’t understand everything at stake. 

“Carine, I thought I taught you better than to give in. I thought I prepared you to stand your ground and to shape the world the way  _ you _ wanted to see it?”

Her words cut through her, sharper than any blade and quicker than any arrow. Of course she had taught her to do all those things, to never give in no matter the circumstances, but how could she had lived with herself if Nero had killed her mother? To face him every day for the rest of her miserable life knowing he was capable of killing an innocent in cold blood just to prove a point? She would have rather died. At least this way, there was possibly a chance to figure something out. There had to be a way.

“Maybe…” she began, and stopped herself. If there was even the slightest chance that Nero could hear what she was saying, the last thing she wanted was to give him a reason to think she could find a way to betray his mission. “Let’s get inside and get you something to eat, shall we?”

For the rest of the day, Carine helped clean her mother’s house and organize it back to its former pristine condition. She had felt terrible in knowing that the loss of both her and her sister had made their mother give up all hope, but just being near the woman she could see the spark returning to her eyes again. It wasn’t the most perfect of situations, but it was the best they had, and neither of them were willing to take it for granted. 

Next, the two Elezen chose to wash out the stables, mucking out all the old and ruined straw and replacing it better bedding. Carine even gathered the feathers Buck had pulled from himself to turn them into quills for her mother to use or sell as she saw fit as well as gather the honey that had been accumulating for the past several weeks from the boxes next to the line of trees near the cottage. 

By the time all the chores were done for the day, the sun was already beginning to set. As much as Carine had hated to leave her mother behind, she didn’t want to know the consequences she would face if she were to stay out past her curfew. She had loaded her pack with several of her favorite things, and in a last minute decision, added her favorite coffee beans to the mix. Before leaving, she also wrote out a note, explaining that she would somehow find a different way than betraying those of Eorzea and put it on the counter for her mother to find. She kissed her goodbye and saddled Buck up, hitching the rental Chocobo to his saddle and riding back for Gridania. 

The ride back to Castrum Meridianum was more pleasant than she had thought it would be, probably because it was no longer a permanent thing. She found herself already making plans for the next several days, the people she would visit and the hunting she would do. By the Twelve, how she missed the feel of her bow in her hands. She missed a lot of things, but something about the wind in her hair, the grass at her feet and a nice stag in her line of sight really made her long for the night to be over so she could be back where she truly belonged.

She had to wait patiently for the guards at the airship docks to search her pack and make sure she wasn’t bringing in anything that they would consider paraphernalia. Of course, every little thing from her harp to those damned beans were questioned and detained until they had been properly scanned for poison or whatever they thought might present a danger. To pass the time, she made sure to mock them until they finally shoved her things back into her arms and sent her on her way.

By some miracle, Carine beat Nero to his apartment. This gave her enough time to put her things away in her room and start making some  _ real _ coffee. Already, the fresh grounds smelled so much better than the tasteless beans that her  _ dear _ husband had as she started a pot. 

It was barely finished brewing by the time Nero strolled in through the door. As usual, he took his numbered paces to the counter where she had just poured him a mug. Just before he grabbed it, he lifted his head, sniffing the air with a confused look on his face. His blue eyes looked between the full mug of steaming coffee and Carine, then back again. 

“Did you order a different coffee?” he asked, lifting the mug and wafting it towards his face. 

“No, I brought the good stuff from home,” she told him, sipping from her own cup with a grin. She watched him as he tentatively took a sip, noting the way he blinked in surprise and then took another drink. “Your expert opinion?”

“Not bad,” he replied, smirking a bit in response. It wasn’t a full smile, but it was a genuine one, and Carine found herself smiling back. 

The Garlean put his tablet down on the counter, leaning his long frame elegantly against the wall as he savored the rich flavors of her precious beans, eyes closing in content as he swallowed. As much as she hated the man for everything he was; Garlean, Tribune, her forced husband, she couldn’t deny that he was rather nice to look at. He took notice of her, arching a golden brow in her direction. 

“I take it you enjoyed your day?” he asked. 

Carine licked her lips and shrugged her shoulders as she took a seat on one of the barstools. “It meant...more than you know,” she admitted, hating herself for wanting to thank him. 

“As long as you don’t forget why we are letting you out to play,” Nero so helpfully reminded her. 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I haven’t forgotten and I made sure to make a presence in Gridania.”

“Excellent,” he smiled meaningfully, a mischievous look glinting in his eyes that made her swallow hard as her stomach dropped. “Now, about the other part of our deal…”

The Elezen froze at that and a wave of sickness washed over her. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about after the day she had, and honestly she wasn’t entirely sure she had the energy to cope with the anxiety that came with it. She ran her hands through her hair, closed her eyes and willed this conversation to be over as quickly as possible. She knew what she had agreed to and it seemed easy enough to go through with at the time. Now she wasn’t so sure she was ready. 

“And here I was having such a good day,” she muttered under her breath.

She could hear his boots clink against the cold metal flooring, each step speeding her heartbeat in her ears, until he stopped behind her. His fingers threaded lightly through her silvery waves, gently tugging until she was looking up at him. His face was still just as cold and impassive as it always was, studying her as if she were some specimen he was trying to figure out. Carine didn’t care for his hard gaze picking over her every flaw, because that was exactly what it felt like he was doing; weighing the pros and cons of sleeping with her. 

_ I’ve never felt so sexy, _ she mused to herself, nervously avoiding his intense stare before he let her go. Curiosity drove her to turn around and look at him, wondering if there was something she had done wrong, or perhaps he simply couldn’t find her attractive enough to get things started. A shot to her confidence, surely, but welcome all the same at the moment.

“I have a proposal,” he finally said, taking the stool next to her. It wasn’t often the two of them were so close, close enough that their knees were nearly touching, and the realization had her heart pounding into overdrive. 

“I thought we had discuss our options last night? What else could you possibly propose?” she asked, tapping her fingers on the countertop. In this moment, he didn’t  _ seem _ dangerous. Sure, there was that mischievous look that made her wonder at exactly what he was thinking, but it wasn’t exactly threatening. 

“We did, however I decided to find another way that might suit us both for the better. I think we can agree that neither of us want this,” he said. “We just happen to have a few obstacles to overcome and a few tests to run before I can prove if my theory works.”

“Such as?” Carine raised a brow. “And what obstacles and tests?”

“We Garleans are equipped with somewhat heightened senses to your Eorzeans. You get to play with aether, we get to see and smell things that you normally cannot,” Nero explained. Interesting as that was, Carine hardly saw how this applied to their current predicament. 

“Look, can we just, you know...get on with this? The sooner we get this over with, the better,” she told him.  _ The better for my health, _ she thought to herself while trying to calm down the pounding in her chest. 

Nero rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “You Eorzeans are so daft. I’m trying to tell you we might be able to cheat the system so you don’t have to just ‘get on with it’,” he scolded.

“And how can we cheat the system? Pretty sure sex is straightforward. You either have it, or you don’t. Besides, I doubt I can cheat getting pregnant,” she said, pointing at the table.

The Garlean smiled then, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. He apparently had given it enough thought that he was sure it would work, that or his ego was so large he believed there was no way it wouldn’t. “I’ll be right back,” he said, standing and then heading to his room. 

Carine waited for several minutes while he most likely removed his armor to get comfortable, wondering what she had said that had sparked his imagination. As she had suspected, he returned wearing his usual white sleeping shirt and cotton trousers complete with that gods awful robe. In his hands was another white shirt, one he tossed in her direction. 

“What’s this?” she asked, looking at in bewilderment. 

“Put it on. Wear it. It’s covered in my scent and should help us to some degree,” he instructed as he poured another cup of coffee. Absentmindedly, Carine lifted the fabric to her nose and sniffed it. There wasn’t much that she could pick up other than the distinct smell of coffee and oil? It was a strange combination, like sleepless nights and machine work, but somehow it suited him. 

“And how exactly is smelling like you supposed to help? Do you have to smell like me too?” she wondered, giggling a little at the image of him trying to wear her sleepwear so he would be covered in her scent. Carine assumed it worked both ways, that the Garleans weren’t just looking for her to smell as if she had been claimed by the Tribune, but that he had actually done the claiming. 

“You aren’t as stupid as you look,” he told her almost as if it were a compliment. “This is going to take a bit of an open mind on your part, if Eorzeans are capable of such a thing.”

“I am getting really tired of your hatred of my kind, Garlean,” she scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. If he were trying to seduce her, insulting her wasn’t the way to go about it. 

As usual, the pompous ass wasn’t the least bit bothered by her complaint as he continued on, “I’ll have to share a room with you.”

The Elezen blinked in silent surprise as she let his words sink in. Share a room? As in, he would be staying in  _ her _ room? The one place in this entire prison that was her escape from  _ him? _ She wasn’t sure if she liked the idea. There was one bed, a large bed, but a single bed all the same. And now she was going to have to share that with him? To what end? 

“I can see this has come as a bit of a shock to you. I’m not happy about it either, I don’t  _ share _ very well,” he pointed out, breaking the silence with his arrogant voice. “But, if this works the way I theorize it will, then any questions about our consummation will end.”

It seemed like a decent enough plan to her, one that she could possibly get on board with considering their limited options. “I don’t understand,” she began, her mind working through everything little by little. “If you are obligated to reproduce for the Empire, why are you trying to cheat the system?”

“If I am going to have to reproduce with you, I will only do so because you would enjoy it. Maybe even eager for it,” he said, taking her chin in her hands and looking into her eyes. The close proximity of his face sent butterflies through her stomach and her eyes were unable to look away from his as he leaned in closer and closer until his lips were pressed against hers. 

The smell of the rich, black coffee mingled with his breath overwhelmed her, and the pull of his hands against her cheek nearly made her melt against him though they were sitting in separate chairs. Carine didn’t want to kiss him back, at least not at first, but inevitably she was finding herself intoxicated by the consuming being that was Nero tol Scaeva. Before she knew it, she was pressing herself closer to him, moving her lips against his and hating herself because, by the Twelve, he was  _ good at it. _

And the ass knew it because as he pulled away, he wore a shit eating grin that let her know that he had won. She had caved to him as easily as a child caved to candy, and it left her feeling wrong, yet wanting.

“Why?” she asked, the rest of her words catching in her throat.

“As I said, if I have to do this, I want you to  _ want _ it. Maybe even need it,” he shrugged. 

“But why?”

Nero leaned in, smirking at her with those cold blue eyes that were now sending her mixed signals. “I’m unashamed to say that I am a selfish man,” he went on. “The more eager you are to please, the more I benefit from this union.”

Her hand cracked across his face before she could think better of it. The look of surprise and then rage on his face sent her running to her room in fear of what he might do to her. Safely through the panel, she pressed her back to it and sank to the floor, listening for the inevitable stomping feet in her direction.

Carine hated him. Hated him more and more with each passing day. She hated his stupid golden hair, his stupid smirk, the ugly third eye on his stupid face. She hated the way that he carried himself, like a man that had everything he could ever want and she hated the way he looked down at her. 

But the crumpled shirt clenched in her fist and the lack of angry yelling and stomping was what brought the tears to her eyes. No, Nero wasn’t a good man, that much was clear, but there was some compassion in him for the man to go through all this trouble of finding a loophole in the system.

Even if he claimed he wasn’t doing it for her.


	6. Seeking the Scions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To work for the Garleans?  
> Or to work for the Scions?
> 
> Why not both?

“Carine? I need you to deliver this to Vesper Bay for me today,” Carine’s mother asked her the moment she stepped in through the door.

It had been a few weeks since she had been allowed to travel outside of the castrum, and she had spent a majority of her time helping get her mother’s business back in order. It hadn’t been an easy task, as many of her clients had been angered by her sudden cancellations despite her reasons for them. Carine had traveled all over the Twelveswood trying to convince these customers that her mother was back on her feet and would be able to start her projects again so long as they were willing to give her another chance.

Most of them had been understanding and relieved to know that Carine was back to help her. Others, especially those that had lost daughters or wives to the Draft had not been quite as forgiving. In fact, many of them had been downright hateful in their accusations that she had turned her back on them in favor of her three-eyed husband. While the insult was one she had thought to save to use on Nero later, the hatred aimed at her had really dampened her mood on having her freedom.

“That’s a long way to go. I thought we were sticking with local orders for now before expanding again?” Carine asked as she took the package.

“It was a rush order put in not long after you came back,” she explained. “They paid well enough so I told them I would do it. It isn’t too much trouble, is it?”

Carine shook her head and gave the older woman a smile. “I have several bells before I have to be back. If I take an airship, it will speed things along. I don’t think I’ll be able to come back before I have to leave though.”

“That’s fine. I’ll get to see you tomorrow,” her mother hugged her and kissed her brow. “Maybe you can convince that husband of yours to visit me at least once.”

That was another thing. Carine’s mother was adamant at having Nero visit her. It didn’t matter how many times she explained to her that he was far too busy with his own work to say more than a few words to Carine every evening or that he would detest leaving the comfort of his castrum to this quaint little cottage, her mother just wouldn’t let up. For some reason she felt it crucial that she meet the man that she thought would one day be the father of her grandchildren.

It wasn’t as though her mother cared at all for Nero, but being the woman she was, she withheld her judgement on a person until meeting them face to face. As far as she was concerned, Carine was having sex with the intention of getting pregnant because that was the point of the Draft. The truth was, ever since the night she had slapped the Garlean general across his face they hadn’t spoken much. He wasn’t cruel or hateful with her, but he went out of his way to avoid her rather than insist that they sleep in the same bed.

At least he was still drinking her coffee.

“I’ll run the idea by him, but I won’t make any promises,” she replied with a shake of her head, kissing her mother in return before going out to saddle Buck and take him to the airship docks.

Thankfully the airship she had landed in just over an hour ago was still there and she was able to convince the Garleans that she needed a quick trip to Thanalan to run the package that way. They didn’t question her much further, given that she had told them a few times that this would eventually be expected, hoping that if any of them spoke to Nero about her travels, it would explain any strange detours she might take. So far, he hadn’t asked any questions other than for the occasional update about the Scions.

Scions she still hadn’t seen or heard from since her arrival back in Gridania.

It was strange, she thought as she held onto Buck’s reins while the ship took flight. She had expected them to come find her right away, or at least a week after seeing that she was back, but there had been absolutely nothing. Carine had even asked her mother if she knew anything about them, but she had no answers and Carine couldn’t quite go around asking anyone and everyone she knew about them. It would have been too suspicious.

Two bells later, the airship landed near Horizon in Western Thanalan. Apparently they were needed elsewhere and couldn’t have taken the time to send her all the way to Vesper Bay, so Carine and Buck were left in the dry heat of the desert.

The sun beat down on her back as sweat beaded upon her brow while she searched for some sort of protection from its rays. It wasn’t long before her silvery hair was plastered to her face, sticking to her cheeks as the dry heat soon drenched her in her own sweat. Occasionally a breeze would blow, offering a momentary relief as it cooled the moisture on her skin before departing and leaving her hotter than before.

Buck didn’t seem to mind the dry heat at all as he followed his companion around Horizon. She was looking for something, a hat or a cloak that would protect her skin from getting burned on the ride to Vesper Bay considering the lack of shade she was used to back in Gridania. Finally she found a vendor with several options available for cheap and bought a large sun hat that shaded her face completely.

Carine thanked the man and turned, bumping into another man and making him drop his wares.

“So sorry! I didn’t see you there,” she apologized, helping him pick up the few things he was carrying.

A pair of round, hazel eyes looked up at her in wonder as he grabbed onto her hands that were helping, kissing each one in turn before flashing a charming smile at her. “The Twelve have blessed me this day, to have such a beautiful woman before me!” he said, hastily picking up his things and standing to bow.

 _Well isn’t he the little charmer,_ Carine thought to herself as she smiled back. He appeared younger than her, though she couldn’t tell exactly how old he was. Something about his eyes threw her off. “I should have been paying attention to where I was going. Forgive me,” she replied with a small bow.

“Nothing to forgive, my Lady,” he said. “Unless you insist. In which case, I would offer that we go for a drink. A hot day, is it not?”

If it weren’t for the fact that she was on a deadline to have this package delivered, Carine might have taken the young man on his offer. He was handsome enough with his ash blond hair and charming wit. His eyes were kind too, warm like a breezy summer day unlike the cold blue that she was used to seeing with Nero.

And just like that, her blushing smile faded as she felt the weight of her ring weigh heavily on her hand. The young man noticed her falter, his head tilting in concern until she wiggled her fingers at him to show that she was married. “A drink sounds lovely, but I can assure you, I don’t think that my husband would appreciate the offer,” she told him. If he was willing to kill a man who had roughed her up, she didn’t want to know what he might to do someone that wanted to treat her right.

 _Not that he cares about me anyway. He just doesn’t like when other people touch his things,_ she reminded herself as she pushed her way past the man.

“It doesn’t have to be like that if you don’t want it to be. Consider it compensation for making me drop my things?” he offered, following along behind her.

“I don’t have the time,” she said as she reached for Buck’s reins. She had two and a half bells left before she had to be in Ul’dah to catch her ride back to Castrum Meridianum if she didn’t want to be late.

“Please? Just one drink, that’s all I ask,” he begged, pouting out his lower lip as if that would sway her.

Who was she kidding, of _course_ it did. Whoever he was, he was handsome and kind, if not a little persistent on the issue. The ride to Vesper Bay on Buck wouldn’t take but fifteen minutes at top speed. With a nod, the young man grinned widely and lead her to the tavern.

Inside was a stark contrast to the bright sunlight just past the doors. It took a few moments for Carine’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, not that he gave her much chance to look around as he lead her to the back. Before she could even order her drink, he had done so and tipped the waitress, his hazel eyes watching her walk away with avid appreciation.

She tapped her fingers on the wooden table, counting down the minutes until they got their drinks and praying she would have enough time to pick up some more coffee beans to bring back this afternoon. In her haste to get this package to the person that had paid decent gil for a rush order, she had forgotten to grab another bag.

“I’m Thancred,” the young man introduced himself, offering his hand for her to take.

“Carine,” she smiled, giving his hand a shake before reaching for the mug of ale that he had ordered for her. At this point, she really would have just preferred water, but she assumed since he had ordered, he was paying and Carine wasn’t one to turn down a free drink.

“So, married huh? What’s that life like?” he asked, eyeing her ring suspiciously.

Carine shrugged, her fingers twisting the black and silver band as they usually did when she thought about things. “Nothing like I imagined,” she replied and then took a deep draught from her mug. If there was one thing she could say about this Thancred, he had excellent taste in ale.

“Seems like it would be if you are married to one of those Garlean guys.”

She frowned at that, wondering what exactly he meant by it. She hadn’t mentioned that she was married to a Garlean that she could recall, and the ring itself was simple enough that it could pass for any custom made one from anywhere.

Carine was just about to ask him how he knew that when the world suddenly shifted around her. She blinked rapidly, trying her best to right the world into its normal state, but it became more misshapen and strange with each passing moment. She pointed at Thancred, who was watching her with mild interest, and tried to accuse him of drugging her, but nothing came out.

“Sorry, pretty lady. Orders are orders. You’ll forgive me in a few,” he assured her as the corners of her vision darkened. She reached for him with the need to strangle him for what he did, but the moment her cheek hit the cool wood of the table, the world went black.

 

***

 

Carine wasn’t sure how long she had been out for when she finally came to. She was in a large room with an elaborate desk sitting in the middle, covered in stacks of paperwork and tall bookshelves behind it. There seemed to be some sort of broken staff hanging in a case on one wall while the other had only a few benches along its length. Light filtered in through small windows in front of her, letting her know she couldn’t have been unconscious for more than half a bell.

 _I’m a dead woman,_ she thought to herself, pulling at her hands that were currently tied behind her back. _I’m going to miss curfew and Nero is going to hunt me down and kill me himself._

A door opened from behind where she sat, making the Elezen try to turn her head as far as it would go to get a better look at who was joining her. Much to her surprise, the young man from Horizon was smiling at her with a cheerfulness that she wasn’t feeling at all.

“How’s your head?” he asked, leaning himself against the wall. “I tried to keep it as light as possible. Sometimes that particular concoction can really knock you on your ass.”

“You!” she exclaimed, jerking her chair around to get a better look at him. “You drugged me!”

“Orders are orders. Speaking of,” he looked past her and the door opened again. This time there were more feet coming in and several different people lined up before her from Lalafells to another Elezen and nearly everything in between.

“Where am I? Who are you people?” Carine asked, glancing around at each one in fear. She knew that there were several people not happy with her having the freedom to come and go from the castrum to her home, but she never would have imagined that some would band together to kidnap her.

 _At least Nero won’t be able to hide whether or not he’s tracking me now. This certainly wasn’t in the cards,_ she mused, glad for once that the Garlean might actually be looking out for her. Of course, she still had two bells before she was supposed to be in the apartment waiting for him with a fresh cup of coffee in his favorite mug, but he would notice she was missing. She hoped so anyway.

“You aren’t in any danger,” a calm, gentle voice said as a young Highlander woman walked in. The others looked up to her as she walked around Carine’s chair and took her place in front of the desk.

Well that was easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one currently tied to a chair in the middle of a room surrounded by people that certainly _looked_ like they could be dangerous.

“Okay then, mind telling me why I am here and who you people are?” she asked again, glaring at the pretty blonde woman before her.

“Of course, Carine. You’re in the Waking Sands, home of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn,” the Highlander replied.

The Elezen’s mouth popped open, her eyes widening as she looked around the room again and then shut them tightly because she didn’t want to have to tell Nero that she knew exactly where they were, and she didn’t want to tell him a lie and him find out.

And there was the stupid ring. What if he could hear everything right now? Not only did he have their current location, but he had audio proof that she was with them in this very moment. They needed to be warned, or distracted? Should she somehow tell them they were in danger? Or should she let the Garleans in to raid the place?

“You know me? Then you know I’m Drafted, yes?” she asked, carefully trying to remove the ring from her hand.

“We are aware of your situation, yes. ‘Tis why you are here. We seek your aid,” the woman said, her face full of concern while somehow maintaining a glimmer of hope. A perfect picture of a woman as any.

The ring finally slid from her finger, so Carine attempted to throw it to the side, hoping it might catch their attention. “I have a curfew. If I’m not back at Castrum Meridianum on time, I can’t promise that they won’t come looking for me,” she said, looking hard at the ring.

“Ah, no need to worry about that thing, Lass,” another voice said from behind her, making her nearly jump from her skin in surprise. “Only has a tracking device installed in it. Nothing I can’t scramble for a short while.”

The man that had spoken looked like a Hyur, but was somehow broader than a Midlander and shorter than a Highlander. Bright grey eyes paired nicely with silvery-white hair topped with a well kept beard beamed as he entered the room. He smiled down at her as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the desk.

“Oh…” was all she could say to that. So somehow they had the technology to override Nero’s genius. He wouldn’t be too thrilled to hear about that if she chose to tell him.

“I have no intention of beating around the bush with you, Carine. The truth is, the Scions could use you for the greater good of the realm. You have access to information on the Garleans that we desperately need to stay ahead in our fight against them,” the woman said, bringing Carine’s attention back to her.

“You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t have any sort of information like that,” she replied. She was locked in a damn tower when she wasn’t with her mother during the day for crying out loud.

“That ring. It’s made with Allagan materials. Rare and expensive stuff on its own. Couple it with an intricate tracking device? It’s basically worth a small fortune in the right hands,” the white haired man said, nodding to the ring on the floor. “Whoever your husband is, he must have a good standing with Nero tol Scaeva to have gotten his hands on this. It had his signature all over it.”

Carine blinked in surprise at hearing Nero’s name from the man in front of her. How much did these people know about their enemies currently at the gate? And how did this man know Nero? “I take it you are familiar with his work?” she asked.

“Familiar? Ha! I helped him make half his breakthroughs though the pompous fool wouldn’t dare admit it. If you ever meet the bastard, I feel for you.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement, and outright laugh as the man’s face turned to confusion. “You’re a little late on that,” she said. “He’s the one I matched to.”

It was clear to her that not everyone in the room was aware of who exactly she had been forced to marry. A collective gasp coupled with wide eyes and curious stares pleased her for some strange reason. It was nice to bring shock to a crowd from time to time, even if that crowd had her outnumbered eight to one and tied to a chair.

“You didn’t seem all that surprised to discover who we were. Might I ask why?” the Hyur said, taking control of the room again and leaving Carine with a choice. Should she be honest? Or should she lie? There was a good chance that she already knew why Carine wasn’t surprised, which would mean that the past few weeks of flaunting her freedom would be for naught if they tossed her out now.

And besides, Mama always said honesty was best.

“I think we both know why the Garleans lengthened my leash. According to Nero, he needs to know about the threat of Primals. He says that you have more information on the beast tribes and how they plan to summon them than he does.”

A few murmurs spread through the room, some of them honestly surprised that she would tell the truth. Still, the woman before her and some of the other Scions didn’t look as impressed or convinced.

“No mention of war or invasion?”

“Like he would tell me if there were plans in the making,” Carine scoffed. “He tells me what he wants me to know. I can say there are more soldiers than I think are necessary to deal with the beast tribes to keep them from summoning a Primal, but then again I don’t know very much on the subject other than Primals are bad news for all of us.”

The entire room seemed to agree, each person nodding their head solemnly. She wondered if they were remembering what happened at Carteneau as she was, and judging by the young woman’s face, she seemed to be.

“I can’t say that I know your true intentions here, Carine, but I would like to offer you the chance to do the right thing by helping us eliminate the Garlean threat at our borders. Even if you do not have everything we need, you are our foot in the door,” she told the Elezen with a look of determination and hope.

What was a woman to do in this situation? Of course she wanted to help her fellow Eorzeans if it meant ending the Draft and freeing her sister, but what personal cost would she have to pay to make it happen? It was bad enough that Carine had been backed into a corner into seeking them out in the first place, but now they were trying to guilt her into turning on the people that held her life and her mother’s life in their hands.

The blonde woman’s hope began to falter as Carine mulled her options over, her blue eyes looking down at the ground in acceptance. “I see that this may be too difficult for you. Very well. I pray that the Twelve guide you well.”

“Wait!” Carine called out before she could turn away. She had a job to do, and though she had no intention of telling Nero everything that she had learned or might possibly learn, she also had no intention of giving up what little freedom she had been allowed for finding these people. As long as she played her cards right, there might be a way for both parties to benefit and she wouldn’t have to give up anything.

“Look, I can’t just jump in on this. They expect information from me,” she admitted. Carine was quite sure she had better odds being more truthful with them than with the Empire, so no need to be _as_ careful. “But, I can try to help you to the best of my ability by getting the information you seek. I don’t know how, but I can try.”

“What? Surely you aren’t suggesting to be a double agent?” a Lalafell asked with a frown. More murmurs whispered through the room, far more heated than before. She wondered if maybe she was stepping too far.

“They have no problem telling me only the things they want to hear, I’m sure you could do the same. Enough to let them know I am doing my job well enough to keep my mother safe, but nothing that compromises your operations.”

“No.” The Highlander clenched her fists and shook her head. “I understand where you are coming from, but to be a Scion of the Seventh Dawn you _must_ be willing to cast aside your personal life for the better of the realm. Each and every one of us here would sacrifice ourselves for this cause without a moment’s hesitation. The same would be expected of you.”

“How can you claim to understand where I come from? Have you lost your family to the Draft? Have you been forced into being uprooted from the comfortable life you have known into living with a man that thinks you are worse than the scum on the bottom of his boot?” Carine spat, anger rising within her. “And I’m the lucky one. There are other women repeatedly raped by their husbands every day because it’s required of them to reproduce. Do you live with that fear? Or do you just pretend to understand because it makes you feel like you’re a better leader to everyone in this room?”

The silence that followed was deafening as the blonde woman paused in her exit. “Do you think I have no sympathy for those women?” she asked softly. “Do you think I have no sympathy for you or your mother?”

“Oh I think you have plenty of it, I just don’t think you understand. If anyone wants to drive the Garleans out of Eorzea, it’s me. They have my sister. They have threatened my mother. And now? Now they put me in the situation where I have to choose between my home and the place I’m being forced to live with my life on the line. So forgive me if I am feeling a little selfish in wanting to make sure my family is safe.”

The white haired man stepped forward, picking up the ring Carine had dropped on the ground and then untied her hands. She rubbed her wrists and wiped at her eyes as pesky tears threatened to fall. She guessed it was over now, that all of this was a waste of her time.

“Minfilia,” the man called Thancred said, reaching out for the young woman’s hand. “We didn’t all start out so selfless, not even you.”

Carine didn’t know what he meant by that, but this Minfilia seemed to nod her head as she turned back to the Elezen with a sad smile. “You’re right, Thancred, thank you,” she said, never breaking her gaze.

“I’ll help you in any way I can,” Carine promised, feeling the truth behind those words. Nero may not be a terrible man to her, but she knew he despised the Eorzeans and would have no trouble hurting them if it meant he would benefit at the end of the day. And her? Well, the Primals were a threat, one she didn’t want to have to face again if she could help it. Both sides seem to have some claim in stopping them, so she would just ride it out until one side proved their worth.

And she prayed that the Scions were the better. For her sake and others.

“Very well. Cid? Would you kindly give our initiate a linkpearl so that we might contact her to give her further instructions?” Minfilia said. “And Thancred? When were you going to check on the aether crystal shipments being stolen?”

“Tomorrow. I have a pretty good lead I’m following. I think we can intercept one of the trade routes before they enter Amalj'aa territory which should buy us more time to find where the beasts are keeping them all,” he replied cheerfully.

“Good. Carine, tomorrow I would like for you to assist Thancred. Meet him at Camp Drybone as early as you possibly can,” the woman instructed. “Now, to introduce you to everyone…”

 

***

 

Nero paused the moment he walked out of the elevator into his apartment, listening as gentle musical notes filled the air accompanied by a serene, lovely voice that he hadn’t heard. He wondered when Carine had found the time or the money to afford an orchestrion or how she had even had it delivered up to his place as he followed the sound towards the sitting area. Surprisingly there was no orchestrion there, but Carine sitting in front of the large window plucking the strings of a worn harp and singing softly.

He found himself captivated by her, pulled in by the sound of her voice in a way he had yet to have heard it. Her silver waves were pulled into a messy updo and her eyes were closed as she played and sang a hymn he had never heard. For the first time since she had arrived in his life, he parted from his routine of drinking his coffee and reading through his calculations in favor of listening to her in such a raw element.

He almost found it beautiful.

As the last notes faded with the song’s end, Carine turned to get up and screamed out as she looked at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle as she put her hand to her chest, eyes wide with fear and surprise and before long, she was smiling at him too.

 _Since when does she genuinely smile at me?_ He wondered to himself as he went back to the kitchen area to get his evening coffee.

“You startled me,” she said breathlessly. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to appreciate that my wife seems to have the gift of song,” he replied, raising the mug to his lips and relishing in the dark, rich flavors of the coffee he had come to adore. How in Seven Hells had he gone so long without it?

Carine blushed deeply, her cheeks turning bright pink and the tips of her long ears changing with them as she coughed to clear her throat. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me,” she replied shyly, grabbing her own mug and pouring her a cup.

Nero turned to her, placing his fingers under her chin and tilting her face to look up at his. Large, bright purple eyes scanned the entirety of his face, studying him with their lilac depths until she finally met his gaze. “Believe me, my little bird, if I was trying to seduce you, you would know.”

Her pupils dilated and curiosity swam within as he heard her breath hitch in her chest. He glanced down at her lush lips, watching her wet them in anticipation. He smirked, releasing her from his gentle grasp and took another sip of his coffee. If she wanted him to kiss her, she was going to have to ask him for it or take matters into her own hands. He would rather not get slapped in the face again.

She cleared her throat again, steadying herself as she looked down at her fingers that were twisting in front of her as they often did when she was nervous. “I found them,” she whispered, barely loud enough that he could hear her. “I found the Scions, or well, they found me.”

“When?” he asked. From his readings today, she had spent half the day in Gridania and the other half in the western part of Thanalan near Horizon. She didn’t know that he knew that, which was the point for now.

“Today, this afternoon. They intercepted me on a delivery,” she answered, surprising him with her willingness to share this information.

“And where did they take you?”

She shook her head sadly as she looked down at the ground. Again he tilted her chin up to look at him in the eyes, to catch her in a lie that he was so sure she was making this moment as he asked the question again.

“I honestly don’t know. Some place called the Waking Sands, but I had never heard of it,” she said, meeting his gaze straight on without a hint of hesitation or fear or a lie.

“And I suppose they just welcomed you in with open arms?” he asked, holding her in place.

The little spitfire that she was curled her lip into what he considered a rather seductive smile for someone with no experience as she continued to meet his gaze with her own. “Of course not. I have to prove my worth to them first. Which is in your favor at the moment because my first task is to stop the Amalj’aa from summoning their Primal.”

Nero couldn’t help but be surprised and excited to hear such a thing. He let go of her chin and tapped at his own as his mind raced with the possibilities. If they were summoning Ifrit soon...he needed to be there. That device that Gaius had, it would help him determine how exactly Ultima worked with or against the Primals as it was the one piece of the puzzle he was yet missing. The Legatus could wait to find the Rising Stones for now, Nero needed to test his theory first.

“Where is the summoning happening?” he asked eagerly, grabbing his magitek screen to take notes.

“That I don’t know. Somewhere in Eastern Thanalan I assume since that’s where they are sending me. Why? Are you planning on sending troops there?” she asked.

Blast it, he needed to know exactly where the summoning was happening to get readings of the event as it took place. If he was correct, he _needed_ Ifrit to be summoned, but it sounded like these Scions wanted to prevent it from happening. Well, it was no matter, she wore her ring and he could track her that way if he needed to. In the meantime he would have to see if Livia or Rhitahtyn would spare some of their soldiers to speed up the aggravation of the beast tribe into moving those crystals sooner.

“Consider me impressed, little bird,” he smiled down at her. “You actually did it.”

“I have a name, you know,” she glared, though there was no malice there.

He waved her away, taking his coffee mug to his chair and sitting to enjoy the rest of it while she followed behind him, most likely intent on getting him to call her by her name. “So when is this little assignment of yours?” he asked instead.

“Tomorrow. Shouldn’t take all day, but what if I go past curfew?” she asked, the nervousness back in her voice.

“You best hope you don’t break it,” he warned, casting a side glance in her direction. “I can only help you so much. I’m on thin ice as it is considering you still barely let me touch you.”

Carine looked down at her knees then, chewing on her lower lip, another habit she had when she was thinking too deeply about something. What he had said was the truth, whether she liked it or not. Gaius was now checking in on him daily and had already offered to make him an appointment at the medical center to attempt to impregnate her artificially.

He considered telling her that was an option. Hells, she might even be on board with the idea, but Nero didn’t like the thought of eliminating the chance he might be able to convince her of a more natural route. Was it selfish on his part? Naturally. He was a married man after all and there were meant to be perks to that, but she wasn’t interested and he wasn’t one to force himself on the unwilling. He had seen the way some of the Drafted wives looked at their husbands. Fear, resentment, pain, some even pure terror. Carine might hate him and detest his existence, but she didn’t outright fear him and he liked to keep it that way.

“You made a suggestion before,” she muttered under her breath. “Said something about sharing a bed?”

Nero arched a golden brow in surprise. “Before you slapped me for being honest, yes.”

“I slapped you because you were being a pig. I’m not some puppet here to please you as you see fit,” she snapped back, the fire back in her eyes. Oh how he loved to see it burning there, reminding him she was no pushover. He admired it even.

“Funny, most women would adore a man willing to pleasure them, even if for their own selfish gain,” he grinned.

“Well, I’m not most women.”

“Clearly, though you truly don’t know what you are missing. I could show you, you know.”

Carine paused, cheeks tinting that lovely shade of pink that he was finding himself to enjoy there. “Look, do you want to sleep in my bed or not? Not that I can see how this will help anything…”

“It won’t, not completely, but the more I begin to smell like you, the more likely Gaius is to believe I am making progress and less likely he is going to force the issue,” he explained. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth. He just hoped that she would stop being so jumpy so he could test his main theory sooner rather than later.

“Fine. We will try it. Just...don’t try anything funny while I’m sleeping…” she blushed again. “And clothes stay on.”

“As you wish, my little wife,” he smiled again and followed her down the hall to the room they would now be sharing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *That moment you realize you haven't played FFXIV from the beginning in so long that you wrote the Rising Stones instead of the Waking Sands as their base of operations...oh my lanta*


	7. Offered Up on a Silver Platter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _When in need of a hero, become the hero..._

Carine had tossed and turned most of the night, not used to the added weight of another person in bed with her, but the Garlean had been true to his word and stayed on his side of the bed. Well, until she woke up and found herself cuddled into his side, taking in the delicious scent of dark roast coffee and the weird metallic smell that seemed to cling to him. To avoid waking and alerting him to what she had done, she had slowly and carefully removed herself to roll over onto the other side, breathing a deep sigh of relief when he remained still. 

Being the early riser that he was, and her being the light sleeper that she was, the two of them woke around the same time. She got up to make him coffee while he returned to his own room to shower and prepare for his day at work. It was still dark outside, a different scene as normally she woke with the rising of the sun, but it seemed peaceful and quiet as she looked over the castrum below. A few squadrons marched in early formations, but otherwise there wasn’t the typical bustle of movement that made her feel restless and long for the quiet woods around her mother’s cottage.

“Did you sleep well?” Nero asked as he walked out of his room wearing his maroon colored armor with the dragon helm tucked under his arm. She had to admit, he looked good. Too good. She wasn’t about to admit it though in case it inflated his already huge ego. 

“It was...different. I haven’t had anyone sleeping in my bed since my sister and I were young children,” she admitted sheepishly. “Sorry if I tossed and turned too much. Did you sleep well?”

The conversation was so mundane for the two of them to be having, it almost made her laugh if she wasn’t so self conscious about it. In the weeks they had been together, every conversation they had seemed to have ended in an argument, or contained one, but this? This was actually kind of nice. 

“I slept quite well,” he nodded, draining his mug and setting it on the counter for her to clean before he made his way to the elevator to call it up. “Though I had no idea you were a cuddler.”

His little addition wiped the smile right off her face as she watched him smirk back at her. She rushed to try and tell him she hadn’t meant to, that she was sorry for invading his personal space, but the doors closed before she could. In a little fit of frustration, she slapped the metal panels and grunted before laughing at herself. Here she was, Carine Monteil, a double agent working for the Scions and the Garleans, and she was worried over the fact she had just snuggled Nero tol Scaeva in her sleep. 

_ What is getting into me? _ She wondered to herself as she finished her own coffee and rushed to bathe.  _ What a twisted life I lead. _

A couple bells later she was dropped off in Ul’dah where she paid to rent a Chocobo to take her to Camp Drybone. Thancred was waiting there by the aetheryte as he said he would be with the linkpearl Cid had programed for her to wear when she was on this side of her castrum to get information. 

“Change of plans, pretty lady,” the Hyur said to her the moment she arrived. “Some things happened last night so we are to rendezvous with the Immortal Flames along the trade route.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as she followed along behind him as quickly as she was able. 

“Got ourselves a nice little captive. He’s been capturing refugees and selling them to the Amalj’aa for quite the profit. Not entirely sure to what end though,” he explained and then pointed at her Chocobo. “Think we could both ride that thing?”

She shrugged and mounted up, reaching down to help Thancred on behind her while he guided their way. “So what is the new plan?”

“We use him to draw out the beastmen, take as many of them down as we can and see about rescuing the people they have so far,” he said. “Well, that’s  _ your _ job. I have to go and find the crystals they have been stockpiling to gather the aether to summon Ifrit.”

Carine pulled back on the reins, bringing the Chocobo to a sudden halt and turned to face the man behind her. “How in Seven Hells do you expect me to fight off all these beastmen? I don’t even have my bow with me!”

“Hey now, it’s okay. You aren’t facing them alone, you’ll have an entire squadron of Immortal Flames at your back helping you out. I’m sure they’ll have any extra weapons you might need, so just talk to them and they’ll get you set up.”

“I thought we were just intercepting a shipment of those crystals in case of an ambush,” she growled. “I didn’t ask to fight an entire beast tribe.”

“Yeah, well, thank your Garlean friends for that. The Amalj’aa attacked them further away from their territory than we expected because for some reason the imperials were there agitating them,” he looked at her in accusation. “Wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

She turned back in her seat and kicked the giant bird onward, refusing to meet his gaze. Carine had told Nero that information because she thought he wanted to stop the summoning as much as she did. Why in Seven Hells would he have provoked them into it if their sole purpose was to rid the land of Primals?

And damned it all, now that meant the Scions wouldn’t trust her even if she was successful on this mission.

They found the Immortal Flames camped out about a malm away from where the beastmen’s territory ended. Thancred didn’t stay around too long, just long enough to have them equip her with gear for protection considering she hadn’t thought they would be doing any real confrontation. She was given some light armor to keep her freedom of movement and a bow that she actually quite liked. A few practice shots that proved she hadn’t lost her accuracy and she was determined to might ask that she keep the weapon for herself when all this was said and done.

By midday, Thancred was long gone searching for the crates and the Immortal Flames had released their prisoner to meet with the Amalj’aa to discuss their dealings, bringing one of the Flames with him as a decoy prisoner. The goal was to distract them long enough for the Flames to ambush the tribe and free the prisoners, returning them to their homes before the day was through. So far, everything seemed to go according to plan as Carine went with the other archers to take her position for the assault.

Soon they received the signal to begin their attack, and the archers let their arrows fly straight and true into the unsuspecting Amalj’aa. With a mighty roar, the beastman launched their own counter attack, using their mages to disrupt the archers on the cliffs. Carine was prepared, her careful eyes picking them off one by one until all that were left were a few healers and their melee fighters. 

It was thrilling to be back in the thick of things; the fight reminding her of her years of training and scouting with the God’s Quiver and Wood Wailers. Her heart thrummed each time she released an arrow and nearly burst with excitement when her shot landed true. It wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the fight at Carteneau, but with more and more of the lizardmen coming from their barracks to join the fray, it was becoming quite the exhilarating adventure. 

Soon she and the other archers lost sight of their main host after creating a path for them to push through, so they dispersed from their cliffs and went to join the rest. Carine strung her bow on her back, nearly out of arrows, and grabbed a lance that had fallen from one of the Immortal Flames that had not been able to dodge a blow from the beasts. It wasn’t perfectly balanced to her size, being just a few ilms too short considering it had come from a Miqo’te, but it would suit her well enough as she swung it around at her foes. 

Progress was slow going as the Amalj’aa had greater numbers on their side and the home advantage, but Carine and the Flames had the element of surprise. Ilm by ilm they pressed on, fighting their way into the Invisible City and searching for the people that this trafficker had procured for the beast tribe. Everywhere Carine looked, there seemed to be no sign of these prisoners that they were supposed to be looking for, but one of the privates insisted that there was a good chance the abductees were being held within the center of the Amalj’aa encampment. 

The closer to the center of the Invisible City they got, the stranger things began to seem. Rather than running into more of the lizardmen, they met fewer and fewer until all they could see were the chief and his close ranked officers with the trafficker. Carine wasn’t the only one to start feeling wary as several of the soldiers she was with began looking around nervously.

“I don’t like the way this feels,” the sergeant muttered under his breath.

“Starting to look like maybe they had a heads up?” Carine asked as she nodded to the surrounding structures where Amalj’aa troops were gathering. They had all been so focused on getting into the city that no one had considered that they might be flanked by extra troops and now they were completely surrounded. 

_ Blessed Nophica, please tell me the Scions are around here somewhere, _ Carine thought to herself as she prepared to defend herself. 

“It seems like this little ambush of yours has come to an end,” the trafficker announced with a wicked grin. “And your sacrifice has made me wealthier for it. Chief? They’re yours.”

The giant Amalj’aa that the Elezen assumed was the chief of the tribe handed the man a heavy pouch of gil and sent him on his way, but not before Carine decided to let loose an arrow into his eye. When everyone turned to her as his body dropped to the ground, his payment spilling into the sand, she simply shrugged her shoulders. 

“What? Was I supposed to let him get away after selling us to them?” she asked. Apparently the lizardmen did not appreciate her smart mouth or her show of force, for the chief cried out to launch the attack on the small force of Immortal Flames currently huddled together in the middle of it all. 

Carine nocked arrows until she had nothing left to grab, felling as many of the beasts as she could before she had to rely on the spear she had dropped in favor of her bow. Her muscles screamed from the exertion she wasn’t used to, but she continued fighting though her companions fell around her. 

With one final attack, she launched her spear at one of the beasts that was coming at the Flame Sergeant from behind, saving him from a potentially bloody blow from its fists. He turned to her, nodding in her direction with his gratitude when suddenly his eyes grew wide as he pointed. 

“Look out behind you!” he exclaimed, but he was too late as Carine felt something connect to the back of her head, blacking out the world around her and sending her body to the ground.

 

***

 

It was hot. Really hot. Far warmer than it had any right to be as Carine jolted awake. She squinted in the darkness, blinking away the stars that danced behind her vision while her head throbbed. She tried to reach it, to rub away the pain, but found her wrists bound behind her back. As dark as it was, she assumed that she was being held in some sort of cave with what was left of the Flame squadron and who she assumed had been the prisoners they were supposed to free. Upon further inspection, the darkness wasn’t because they were in a cave at all, unless somehow stars appeared in caves. 

_ No! _ She screamed internally, eyes widening at the sight of the moon hanging overhead.  _ No no no no… _

Carine began frantically searching around her for anything sharp enough to cut through her bindings, her heart pounding in her chest and breath coming in quick, short bursts. The chances that this was her last night of freedom were growing by the minute as she realized she had no idea what time it currently was. If she was late…

A sigh of relief pushed from her chest as her searching fingers found the broken edge of a jagged rock big enough to fit into her palm. Immediately she set to work, slowly sawing at the thick rope that bound her hands together. There was even some small comfort in knowing that they hadn’t removed her ring when they had taken her weapon. That meant the chances of rescue, even if it were a Garlean rescue, were high. 

The meticulous pace she had set to cutting her bindings helped calm her mind and allowed her to think more clearly as she took stock of the situation. They had been deceived and lead into a trap, practically delivered to the Amalj’aa on a silver platter, and then captured and brought somewhere else. It was difficult to say where exactly in Thanalan she was considering it all appeared to look the same to her. Somehow in the fray, Carine’s linkpearl had turned off because she could feel it resting in her ear, but she couldn’t hear anything coming from it. If she could just get free she could turn it back on and reach out to them, hopefully before their captors decided to do something with them.

A hushed sob interrupted her thoughts, making Carine look around until her eyes rested on a young Hyur girl of about ten years old. Her brown hair was caked with mud and dirt, hanging in messy clumps around her small and dusty face. She was thin, but otherwise unharmed. Her hands had been tied in front of her, allowing her to wrap her arms around her legs as she curled up against the stony wall to their backs. Tears streamed down her dirty face and large, frightened eyes met Carine’s. 

_ Blessed Nophica, they took children too? _ She cursed to herself, scooting around so that she could better see the child. “Hey there. It’s going to be okay. Shh, don’t cry,” she crooned, hoping to alleviate some of the fear and anxiety going through her. 

“I-I’m scared,” the child sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and streaking more dirt on her cheeks. 

“I know, I am too,” Carine admitted, but she wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of what was going to happen to them right now, or what might be awaiting her back at Castrum Meridianum. “But it’s going to be okay. There are people looking for us, I promise.”

As she soothed and assured the little girl that all would be well, the Flame sergeant perked up. “Your fellow Scions? They can find us?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, you better hope that they are the ones that find us first,” Carine said apologetically. “I don’t think you would care to be indebted to  _ my _ rescue party.”

He seemed to realize just who she was then as his face paled and he nodded in agreement. A rescue was a rescue, she would at least admit that, but Eorzeans were gracious beings. The last thing any of the Immortal Flames would want would be to show that unwavering gratitude to their fated enemies. 

“You promise they will find us?” the girl asked, drying her eyes and looking up at Carine with so much hope that she felt as though her heart might burst.

_ Gods I hope they do, _ she prayed. Instead she nodded her head with a gentle smile and scooted closer to the girl. “What’s your name?”

“Marni,” she replied. 

“That’s a beautiful name. I’m Carine,” the Elezen introduced herself, earning a small smile. “Where are you from?”

Marni shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “Nowhere. Not anymore.”

“What about your parents? Do you know where they’re from?” Carine asked. Planning a way to reunite this child with her family was a great distraction from where her imagination was taking her currently and if there was anything she could do to help her get out of here, she was damn well going to do it.

“I don’t have parents. They-they died…” a fresh new wave of tears streamed down Marni’s face as she buried her head into her knees and began sobbing. 

Her heart shattered then. Just to imagine being so young and helpless, trapped in a place she didn’t know tied and bound with her future uncertain...it was almost too much for Carine to bear. And that meant no one was looking for her. No one would come to embrace her when they got out of this mess. She would most likely go back to living on the streets, begging for food and coin like all the other refugees from Ala Mhigo until starvation would one day claim her. 

Well, Carine just couldn’t accept that as her fate. 

“Hey, you know what?” she asked, scooting closer to Marni so that they were touching. “My Mama is one of the best cooks in  _ all _ of Eorzea. The problem is, recently both her daughters have been married off and she doesn’t have anyone to help her around the cottage much anymore. I bet all my gil that she would love to have you come and help her.”

Marni sniffled again, peeking at Carine hesitantly from behind her thin arm. No doubt that scum of a trafficker had used a similar tactic in baiting her to begin with. It wasn’t that she regretted putting an arrow through his bloody head, but she was damned well glad she had now. 

“You mean it?” her small voice trembled with anticipation that this time the words were true. 

“Of course I do! She could teach you all kinds of things, like she taught me,” she went on to explain, the last of the ropes finally fraying under the constant strain of her rock. “Like weaving and cooking. Hunting too if you like that. She even has a couple of Chocobos I bet she would teach you how to ride.”

“Would you visit?” Marni asked. Carine smiled down, the bindings finally loose enough that she could free her arms and wrap them around the little girl to hug her for all she was worth.

“Every day that I would be able to, I would be there for you,” she promised, stroking her head and holding her close.

Soon Carine was untying all of the other prisoners, granting their hands precious circulation and tending to the wounded as best she could. From what she could tell, most of the Flames had minor injuries from their ambush earlier while the refugees that had been taken captive were healthy overall, if a little thin. Several times she tried to restart her linkpearl, but either it was broken or none of the Scions were responding to her queries, leaving her main hope riding on Nero being upset that his coffee wasn’t ready for him when he arrived home.

Nearly a bell and a half later, Amalj’aa equipped with their overlarge weapons came for them. While they were surprised that none of the prisoners were bound, they hardly seemed worried as they forced them out of their holding cell and down a dark path into what appeared to be a giant bowl. All around them were sharp, jagged cliffs that disappeared into the night sky. At the base of these cliffs was an entire hoard of Amalj’aa beastmen laying out dry brush in a circle and setting it aflame. 

Carine didn’t need Thancred’s help in telling her what was going on because everything from their war paint to their chanting and eventually the crates of crystals that Hyur was supposed to have procured spelled it out perfectly clear. They were summoning their Primal. 

They were summoning Ifrit. 

Bile rose in the back of her throat as her fear of the powerful beings began to settle over her. Flashbacks of the desecration on the field of Carteneau flooded her mind, bringing rise to the panic that was sure to take over until a small hand reached out and grabbed hers. Carine looked down at the wide, frightened eyes of Marni knowing that she had placed all her faith in her to get them out okay. Somehow this sparked a tiny flame of courage within the Elezen, centering her for whatever would come. 

She would find a way for that little girl if it was the last thing she did.

They were lead into the center of the burning ring, lizardmen priests chanting around them and adorning their brow with ash. Carine could hardly see the silver lining through it all if they were being offered up as a bloody sacrifice, but she stood strong, clutching onto Marni’s hand as if it were her own lifeline and hugging her close when the child’s fear became too much. 

The chanting grew louder, deafening even as the other Amalj’aa joined in the chorus. Their prayers lifted to the sky and seemed to mix with the fire and smoke that began blinding and choking the prisoners as they reached their crescendo. Carine pulled Marni to her stomach, hiding her from the elements that seemed to thicken when she noticed the crystals beginning to glow. She was unable to take her eyes off of them as they lifted from their crates, ascending into the air and shaping themselves into something absolutely massive.

A deafening roar echoed off the cliffs that surrounded them, making the prisoners clap their hands to their ears as they ducked. Most of them panicked and ran only for the beastmen to push them back to the center with their weapons. Marni remained attached to Carine, holding on for dear life as the flames swirled with the crystals to create a being that looked as though it had burst forth straight from the Seven Hells.

Two large, molten horns jutted from its bony head, sharp teeth snapping as giant talons pierced the earth below. Flames shot forth from its eyes as they scoured the landscape beneath their towering height, its long tail whipping back and forth as it caught sight of its prey. It took everything Carine had not to scream and run like the others around her when it let out another bellow that shook the world around them.

_ “Oh pitiful children of man. By my breath, I claim you!” _ a deep voice resounded within her head, making the Elezen dizzy and unstable. She rubbed her temples, blinking away the disorientation as she regained herself. Around her, the refugees and Flames seemed to stop in their tracks, turning as one to face the fearsome Primal.

_ “Arise once more, my loyal minions. Feed my flames with your faith, and all that shall oppose us shall burn!” _

Again, another wave of dizziness and disorientation unsettled Carine, but it didn’t last as long as the first time, which was a relief. She reached for Marni again and was surprised to see the little girl walking towards Ifrit, almost without fear. In a moment of panic, Carine rushed forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the Primal and gave her a look over. 

“Marni?” she asked, kneeling down and wiping the dirt from her face. The Hyur child just looked straight through her, almost as if Carine wasn’t there at all.

“Oh mighty Ifrit,” her small voice said going monotone as if she were under a spell. “My one true god…”

Carine clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing as anger and rage blurred her vision. They would  _ not _ take this little girl from her, not like this. She let go of Marni and glanced around at the worshipping Amalj’aa, now joined by the prisoners that had somehow fallen under the Primal’s influence. They were all too preoccupied to notice her as she ran around looking for anything she could use as a weapon and was pleased to find a cache of what they had taken from the squadron when the beastmen captured them. 

Her lips twitched and she ignored the frantical thrumming of her heart as she grabbed all the weapons she could possibly use. Perhaps it was foolish to think that she could face this being on her own without aid, but she was damn well going to try if it meant she could break the spell put over her fellows. 

Fighting Primals is what Scions were supposed to do, right? And it was clear to her by now that Nero wasn’t coming to rescue her like she had hoped.

_ When in need of a hero, become the hero, _ she told herself as she grabbed a helmet for protection. It seemed fitting to don a set of horns like that beast before her and was surprisingly a good fit.

_ “What is this? A mortal that is able to resist mine will?” _ the creature turned his fiery gaze at her.  _ “Though I smell not another residing within you, your insolence will not be tolerated. You shall burn.” _

“Like Hells I will,” she shouted back as she launched one of the spears at his face, a blinding light enveloping them as the fight began.


	8. Aftermath

The fight had already begun by the time Nero arrived on the scene. It had taken some careful planning to be far enough away to avoid the call of the Primal, lest he and his fellows become thralls themselves, yet close enough that he could gather readings on the beast for studying. He was truly grateful now that he had installed a tracking device in Carine’s ring otherwise he and Livia would still be in Eastern Thanalan searching for the Primal rather than be here in the Bowl of Embers watching him manifest from the crystals. 

It was difficult to see what was happening below through the smoke and flame, but occasionally they were granted a spectacular view of some warrior fighting the beast single handedly as if they were immune to its influence. He was far more enraptured by the conflict below, his skin prickling in excitement each time the mighty beast roared, than his prickly companion. 

Livia felt as though this trip was a waste of their time. She took to leaning against a boulder and examining her armor for imperfections if he had to guess. Her troops waited for a signal, should the Primal start becoming a legitimate threat, but according to the readings on the device Gaius had given him, Nero couldn’t help but be somewhat disappointed. It was no wonder this skilled warrior was still on their feet with readings like that.

A humming in his pocket forced the Garlean to take his eyes off the battle below and focus on the piece of Ultima that he had brought with him. It glowed and pulsed in his hand, growing warmer and warmer with each passing second until it was nearly too hot to hold, even through his gauntlets. 

“Interesting…” he said, more to himself than to anyone. 

“What is it now, Nero?” Livia grumbled, shifting her weight to her other leg. 

“Oh Livia, I doubt you would care to understand, or understand it at all actually,” he replied with a lazy wave of his hand. She hmphed from behind him, but her lack of further questions let him know she wasn’t truly interested in what he had discovered. Oh, but her husband would be, of that Nero had no doubt.

A blinding flash of light glowed and turned his attention back to the epic battle of wills. To bear witness to the raw strength of a Primal, even a weak one such as this, was exhilarating. For it to be matched by that of a mortal? That almost made him worry. He was no slouch in combat. In fact, Nero took great pride in being excellent in both the laboratory with his magitek and in the field of battle, but even he knew that he couldn’t face a weakened Primal like Ifrit. Hells, he wasn’t sure if he and Livia could take the beast on together and defeat it, yet this person was holding their own and even  _ winning. _

Something was giving them an edge, but Nero couldn’t possibly deduce what it was from where he stood. No normal weapons flashed with blinding light when used, and each time they used such an attack, the readings on his device would skyrocket. It was equal parts intriguing and worrisome because if the Eorzeans had someone that could defeat Primals on their own, that greatly weakened the foothold Gaius was currently striving for in the nation. Why seek out their protection if they had more than enough?

A final burst of white, blinding light illuminated the battlefield below and the mighty Ifrit raised his voice to the sky one final time before bursting into dust in his defeat. Standing solemnly in the middle of the fire ring was the warrior with their horned helm hiding their face staring down the Amalj’aa warriors that were backing away slowly. Even from this distance Nero could hear their cries of frustration and horror at what befell their beloved god, and even he couldn’t help but praise the warrior in their show of strength and courage. 

Or stupidity.

“So that was the mighty Ifrit,” he said, standing to his full height and shaking his head. “Such a disappointment. Those readings were hardly what I anticipated…”

“As I suspected. You wasted my time,” Livia interrupted him. “What did you expect from a device as outdated as that one?” 

“Apparently more than I should have,” he sighed, kneeling down and watching the scene below. It seemed the little warrior was joined up now by familiar people, maybe the Scions? It was too difficult to tell from this distance. 

Livia began pacing back and forth, murmuring to herself and occasionally throwing sharp glances at his back in anger. “The beastmen are indeed summoning Primals and thanks to my lord’s indomitable focus on acquiring Eorzea, we cannot expect help from the motherland. We have only ourselves to see an end to their threat.”

“Oh ye of so little faith,” Nero smiled. “Do you truly doubt me so?”

“You seem to underestimate the trials at hand, Scaeva,” she snapped.

Nero ‘tsked and shook his head with a smirk. “Ever the pessimist, my dear Livia. Promise me you’ll never change.”

As he expected, the general growled and pushed her way past him, giving the Bowl of Embers a final once over with her own eyes. “And what of your wife? You were tracking her here, were you not? Isn’t it far past her curfew? I am sure my lord will not be pleased with that,” she said mockingly.

“If she isn’t a thrall, which is unlikely it seems, then I am sure he will find it in his heart to forgive her this one time as she allowed us to achieve our primary objective,” he said with a wave of his hand. It was unfortunate, really, that Carine was most likely a thrall. He had started to find himself tolerating her quite well, and he would actually miss her once that final bag of coffee beans she brought from her home was gone. 

“Livia?” he asked as he followed behind her to leave before the Scions arrived. “Do you suppose that warrior could prove a hindrance to our plans? I find myself troubled by the readings I got from them…”

“Perhaps- but that magitek device is too old to give a reading worth a damn. You should know better than to compare data from five years ago. We shall bring it to my husband’s attention nonetheless. However,” and with this she turned and jabbed her finger square into Nero’s chest. “You have been given a task. You should treat it as though it is your priority because it  _ is. _ Fail to do as Gaius commands and he will not have to punish you.”

Nero watched her march off, obviously flustered over his infatuation with the warrior that had now disappeared from view. Seeing a Primal in action, even one as weak as Ifrit, had unsettled the woman. Even so, he had to admit that she had a point. Gaius was already likely angry that Nero had suggested that they let the being manifest into his physical form, but in doing so he had been able to discover something that would more than make up for this slight insubordination.

“Beware a woman in love,” he mused to himself as he followed on behind her. “I shall endeavor to be on my best behavior.”

 

***

 

Given that he did not know what became of Carine, Nero elected to fly to Ul’dah and wait to see if any survivors of the battle with Ifrit were brought there as it was the closest place that could provide adequate medical treatment to those injured. As it was, he had made the right call because he had only to wait half a bell before receiving a call informing him that Carine had been detained. 

He found that times like this were appropriate to wear his helmet. He liked the feel of looking as formidable as possible while the savages glared daggers into his back, always so brave when they thought he wasn’t looking or paying them any mind. It was refreshing and invigorating to watch them cower any time he paused and turned in their direction, hiding their filthy faces and running to the shadows to avoid his gaze. 

And Carine wondered why he considered them lesser than his own kind.

She was the one exception he would make to this rule, however, because she wasn’t afraid to meet his eyes and challenge his authority. Unless he brought up sex. That always seemed to bring a blush to her cheeks and turn her eyes to the floor in embarrassment more than her submission. Nero quite liked to turn the tables on her just to see her falter and stutter, to watch as she nibbled that lower lip and look anywhere but at him. Dare he say he even found it  _ attractive? _

He was lead into one of the back rooms when he entered the headquarters, flanked by two high ranking officers as he was brought to a room. Sitting on a small cot with her arms wrapped around her legs was his brave little wife. She startled as the door opened, her eyes widening in fear as she saw him enter. Immediately she began to apologize and prattle on, her words and sentences incoherent to the Garlean general until her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted straight into his arms. 

Now this was quite the development.

“I take it she isn’t a thrall?” he asked, lifting her up and cradling her unconscious form to his chest. The two Flames looked at each other, confused for some reason he didn’t have time to find out. Rolling his eyes he said, “I was told there was a summoning of a Primal and that she had been abducted earlier this afternoon.”

They seemed to understand that as their eyes lit up and they nodded in unison. “All the thralls were already rounded up. She appears unaffected.”

“Excellent,” Nero replied, stepping past them to carry her to his airship currently waiting for them at the docks. 

_ Thank the gods you aren’t terribly heavy, _ he scowled, avoiding the stares of interest coming from the people of Ul’dah. It must have been quite the spectacle, seeing a fully armored Garlean general walking through their streets with an unconscious Elezen in his arms. He was grateful when he loaded into the elevator that would take him to the landing docks and away from all the prying eyes of every passer by. 

Carefully he laid her down on one of the cushioned seats, taking care to not wake her so that he might have a peaceful ride home. It wasn’t until they had landed in Castrum Meridianum that he shook her awake, refusing to carry her to his apartment from where they were. She rubbed her eyes, taking her time to examine her surroundings before finally recognizing him.

“Nero?” she asked, warily eyeing him as though he were about to attack her at any moment. “How much trouble am I in?”

“None as far as I’m concerned,” he replied, grabbing her arm and leading her to the tower where they lived. “Unless you have done something wrong?”

Carine shook her head, eyes still wide with a palpable fear. “I was late.”

“Is that what you are so scared of?” He laughed. “Why you fainted into my arms? Honestly, if you wanted to get my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

“You know, sometimes I am sure that I can watch your ego grow,” she groaned as she stepped into the elevator and crossed her arms protectively over her chest. 

She said nothing else as they rode the elevator up, the doors barely having time to open before she was pushing her way past them and to her room without a backward glance. Nero followed after her, pulling off his helmet at setting it on the counter only for her to shut her door in his face before he could get a foot in to stop her. 

Clearly the woman wasn’t interested in talking, which normally would have been fine with him as he stalked off to his room to remove the rest of his bulky armor and into more comfortable clothes, but he had questions. Then he went to the kitchen and started up a pot of coffee, hoping that maybe that would coax her out to talk to him. He waited several minutes before it became clear that he would have to just bring a mug to her and make her recount what had happened to her this evening to get her caught up in a summoning. 

Nero knocked on the door and waited, but heard nothing from the other side. “You know I  _ do _ need to know what happened tonight. It would be best if you let me in.”

Silence followed for several minutes before the panel finally displaced itself and slid open. Thankful that he wouldn’t have to do a manual override to break into her room, Nero strolled through the door, handing her the mug of coffee he had prepared her and took a seat at the desk she used to hold her laundry she didn’t feel like putting away. Carine stared down at the mug, brow knit with confusion before taking a tentative sip and then sighed. 

“Mind telling me your version of the events?” He asked, stretching his long legs out in front of him and getting comfortable. It seemed with her current state of mind, he might be here a while.

“What part do you want to know? The part where you sent troops to agitate the lizards into summoning Ifrit early? Or the part where I was nearly offered up as a sacrifice?” she snapped, eyes burning with anger as she rounded on him. 

Okay, he should have suspected she would have come to that conclusion, and he wouldn’t deny that she was right. “I couldn’t very well tell you that I needed the Primal summoned otherwise you never would have agreed to make it happen,” he replied. 

She rolled her eyes and looked towards the ceiling, running her tongue along her teeth in agitation. “Wow. A real gentleman you are. Husband of the year award,” she said as she clapped her hands. All he could do was stare at her in amusement as she went on with her little fit, hurdling her anger at him like a weapon.

“Tell me,  _ husband, _ how did you know where I was?” Carine asked. 

“Well if you must know, I have a tracking device installed in your ring. I was able to pinpoint your location. Of course, by the time I arrived, Ifrit had already been summoned.”

If Nero had thought that his little bird had been angry before, he had seriously been undersold because the rage and fury that emanated from the Elezen now was almost frightening.

“You mean to tell me you were  _ there?! _ ” She shouted, eyes blown wide with uncontrolled anger. The amusement he had been feeling quickly vanished as she slumped onto the bed, holding her face in her hands. Soon sniffling and quiet sobs filled the space between them, leaving the Garlean unprepared on how to handle this particular situation. Clearly she was upset. Clearly he didn’t have the slightest clue as to how to rectify it.

“It seemed that the warrior that was there had things under control. I wasn’t needed,” he explained, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I want to know how this happened, who that person was and how they defeated the Primal without the help of anyone else.”

Carine sniffled and wiped her eyes, now angry and swollen to reflect her anger towards him. “All I know is that when I arrived at Camp Drybone this morning, the plans had changed and I was sent on a rescue mission while the Scion I was partnered with was to find the bloody crystals,” she replied. “We were lead into a trap, overwhelmed and then captured. I was knocked unconscious and woke up there.”

Everything she said seemed to align with what the tracker had told him. Couple that with her fear, anger, and aggression, he concluded she had to be telling the truth. What troubled him was that she was there, most likely much closer than he was to the entire fight and yet she wasn’t enthralled. “So how is it you resisted Ifrit’s power?”

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She had to be careful from revealing too much information lest he catch on that it was actually  _ she _ that had risen to fight the Lord of the Inferno. 

“I don’t know. I was tied up somewhere in the cave system with some of the other prisoners. A few of them seemed to change, a few didn’t,” she finally replied. “It was...unsettling.”

Nero seemed to buy her story, nodding along as she told it and watching her for any indication that he shouldn’t believe her. It had helped that she had finally gotten him to admit to having a tracker on her so she didn’t have to pretend she didn’t know, but her anger and betrayal was very real. She had thought that he would come for her, that somehow he would rescue her and yet he had all but admitted that he had sat back and  _ watched _ as she fought Ifrit without aid. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know it was her, it was the principle that he seemed wholly unaffected that she had been thrown into the middle of danger. 

“And this warrior that fought him. Are they a Scion? I don’t remember you mentioning anything about some secret weapon of theirs,” he pointed out. 

Again, Carine shook her head and admitted she didn’t know, which wasn’t a complete lie. One minute she was hellbent on destroying that demon for enthralling Marni, the next she was shooting arrows of light at him that seemed to weaken the beast considerably every time they landed. Even Thancred, who had joined up  _ after _ the fight was over had found the entire thing strange and unsettling, promising to report back to Minfilia with the news while exchanging her the clothes she had been wearing earlier that day with the helmet she had found.

“You’re tense, my little bird. Go on, take a hot bath,” Nero ordered her, standing and opening the door to her washroom. “When you’re done, come out here in your robe. Only your robe.”

She looked at him hesitantly and then at the door. “Why?”

“Because you are tense. Far too tense. In my experience, tools that are as stressed as you are tend to break even under the slightest pressure and I don’t intend on allowing you to break,” he so helpfully informed her.

“So I’m a tool now?” Carine snorted, not sure whether to feel special or like she had just been used. “I say you are a true romantic. A wonder you weren’t married before me.”

“I did not claim you were a tool, it was the only comparison I could think of to make that you might understand,” he shot back, his lips pressing together in a tight line. “However you are my  _ wife. _ Things that I consider mine, I take excellent care of to ensure they work properly and efficiently.”

Carine stood and made her way to the washroom, shaking her head. “Again, how romantic,” she said, closing the panel behind her and starting the bath.

The Elezen had no idea what the man had in store for her, but he could wait as far as she was concerned. It had been  _ she, _ not the the bloody Garleans, that had protected Eorzea from a very real threat.  _ She _ was the one that deserved this nice, hot soak complete with rose scented bubble bath. Hells, if Nero was the kind of man to cherish his wife, she would dare say she even deserved to be pampered after facing her fear head on.

And then there was Marni. Poor little Marni. What she wouldn’t have given to bring that little girl home with her this very night if she had the time to go to her mother’s before coming here. By the time Carine had been given no choice but to leave, herded along with other refugees they had found in other areas, Marni was still chanting about Ifrit being her one true god. As she washed herself and allowed herself to relax, Carine wondered just how long the effects of the Primals lasted on their victims. Surely no more than a couple of days, which is what she had told Thancred she was going to need to recoup from that fight. 

Nothing quite like literally being pummeled by a Primal.

When she couldn’t waste anymore time in the bath, Carine finally left the relaxation of the warm churning water and dried herself. The red and gold silken robe that Nero had ordered for her not long after her arrival hung on a hook near the door. He had instructed her to only wear it, but surely he just meant by not wearing her usual sleepwear, right? It seemed a little risque to not wear any smallclothes with  _ him _ in the room as the robe really wasn’t that long to begin with. 

After several moments of indecision, she chose to pull on at least a pair of lacy panties and tie the robe tight around her. When she exited the steamy comfort of the washroom, Nero was sitting at the foot of her bed, reading over something on the damned tablet while holding some weird pulsing materia in his hands. That wasn’t the only strange thing, because the man had somehow pulled out some long table from the wall with a hole at one end.

“What’s that and where did it come from?” she asked, eyeing it nervously as she closed the washroom door behind her. 

Nero surprised her by putting aside his magitek screen and materia, motioning for her to step forward. It was unusual that he would choose her over his work, and the fact that he was now didn’t ease her tension in the slightest. 

“I promise it isn’t going to hurt you. All living units come with them equipped should we wish to make use of them,” he explained. “And I think tonight you need it.”

“This isn’t some weird, sexual thing, is it?” Carine asked, looking at the hole at one end. She wouldn’t even begin to know how it worked if that’s what it was for.

Nero tossed his head back with a hearty laugh, finding great humor in whatever she had asked and making her feel stupid. Was her being innocent on such matters truly so funny?

“No, well it doesn’t have to be,” he replied. “You lay on your stomach and put your face here,” he went on, motioning what he wanted her to do.

“And you will be?” she arched a brow, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at him in accusation. They had only just started sharing a bed the night before and now he was offering some weird table thing that even he didn’t seem entirely sure if there was a kink to it or not.

He let out a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his golden hair in exasperation. “I understand you don’t trust me, not that I feel I have done anything to earn that distrust when it comes to your personal space, but would you please allow me this? I promise it won’t hurt,” he gentled his voice and somehow through his eyes she could feel that he meant it.

Against her better judgement, she did as he commanded, laying down on her stomach with her arms at her side and her face at the hole. Carine tried her best to relax, even as he gently moved her long, wet hair to the side so he could begin rubbing her shoulders. 

It was such a surprising sensation that she wasn’t able to hold back the moan of appreciation that slipped from her lips. The last thing she had ever expected from the man was a massage and, by the Twelve, he was just as good at working the stress and tension from her muscles as he was a kisser, even if she only had the one to go by. As her troubles were kneaded away, she allowed herself to fully relax to his touch and close her eyes to enjoy this moment of pure bliss.


	9. Easing Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Yeah, well, I never have been that great at following orders,” she said breathlessly, riding on a high she wanted to continue chasing. “For what it’s worth, that’s the only other thing I’m wearing.”_

Nero smiled to himself as he felt her submit, pleased that it hadn’t taken too much coaxing to get her to admit that she needed to unwind. Her soft moans and sighs let him know that he was succeeding in his job, however they were succeeding in stirring things within  _ him _ as well. He did his best to maintain a completely professional attitude about the ordeal, but with every soft sound she made, that professionalism became harder and harder to keep. 

“You know, this is much easier and feels better if we didn’t have this robe in the way,” he pointed out as he moved to her back. It wasn’t a lie, he knew from experience, but Nero couldn’t deny that there was a part of him that wanted to caress her skin.

“The robe stays on,” she shot him down without a moment’s hesitation, bringing another smile to his lips. “Y-you’re doing just fine as is.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” he grinned, working his way lower down her back and rubbing along the curve of her waist. From the way she shivered under his touch and the pheromones she was exuding, he believed she was enjoying this massage far more than she wanted to admit. 

“I’m not complimenting you again.” Carine swatted at him, her hand brushing against his upper thigh and sending a shock straight to his loins, making the Garlean inhale to maintain his poise and control. “I refuse to feed your ego. You might not fit through the door if I do.”

“You wound me.”

She laughed at that, a soft, sweet sound he rather enjoyed. The woman didn’t laugh much in his presence unless she was snorting at his arrogance or mocking him, so to hear the genuine thing was quite the treasure, especially in knowing he had been the cause.

“Did I ever tell you that you have a lovely voice?” he asked, moving his way down to her feet, rubbing along her tired soles and ankles. She lifted her head as much as she could to look at him, her lavender eyes twinkling in amusement.

“I’ll be damned. The world must be burning if Nero tol Scaeva is complimenting someone other than himself. Or were you doing that just now?” she wrinkled her nose up at him in jest. 

Nero hadn’t truly understood the woman he had in his home. Even now he couldn’t say he understood her, but seeing her in this moment smiling at him?  _ Genuinely _ smiling at him? He felt as though he was getting a glimpse of the true person underneath all the armor she wore in defense against him. 

He wanted to bring those walls down, if she would let him.

“A rare moment indeed. You would do well to remember it,” he said, moving up to her calves. Now that he had some bare skin to work with, Nero reached for the glass bottle filled with a lovely exported warming oil from Doma and poured a bit into his palm, smoothing it over her skin to make for a better massage. Again, the sweet sounds of her pleasure sent shocks of need through him, bringing him to work his way higher and higher until he was about mid thigh. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Carine asked, slamming her legs together and pinning his hand there. 

Now was a good a time as any to make his suggestion and offer to test his speculation, and judging from the scent radiating from her, she most likely wouldn’t be completely opposed. “Relax, please,” he urged her and ever so slowly she let her thighs release him. She was still on high alert, but trusting for the moment. “I have a theory…”

“You and your theories. What sort of theory do you have between my thighs?” she asked, looking back at him with a delicately arched brow.

“I have a great many theories about a great many things between your thighs, but something tells me you aren’t quite ready to hear them all just yet,” he whispered seductively in her ear, keeping his hand firmly in place. He could feel a physical shiver run the course of her body coupled with a fresh wave of pheromones teasing him. 

“Well, you aren’t going any further until you tell me your intentions.”

“Fair enough, my dear  _ wife, _ ” he rubbed his nose against her ear, relishing as her breath hitched in her chest. “You see, we Garleans have an excellent sense of smell. We can detect pheromones in the air you cannot, which is how everyone knows we have not yet consummated our forced union. Sharing the bed helped, but it wasn’t  _ quite _ enough.”

She swallowed hard, lush lips parting as her breathing became more shallow. “So if we were to have sex, I would basically be walking around with a sign around my neck saying so?” she asked. “That’s...unnerving.”

“That’s the basic premise, yes. But you see, you don’t have to have sex to get the same effect. Even now your pheromones are permeating the air,” he went on, brushing his lips against the tip of one long, pointed ear. 

“That sounds like a loophole,” she gasped as his teeth grazed against her earlobe, pebbling her skin beneath his waiting fingers. “S-so what are you suggesting exactly?”

“Release enough pheromones and I think we could trick everyone’s noses into thinking we have fulfilled our consummation,” he whispered. “All you have to do is tell me you want me to show you how.”

Carine hesitated, caught between her desire to know what he wanted to show her and the feeling of guilt she had at wanting it. He hadn’t done anything yet she hadn’t allowed, and even now she felt the need to have his fingers travel just a little higher. It was wrong, he was the enemy, but was he truly  _ her _ enemy? She didn’t know the answer to that. What she did know was that she didn’t want to feel as if she were some object for him to use and toss aside when he was done.

“If I were to say yes,” she started, putting her face back down on the table and mentally preparing herself to feel him touch her again in a way she hadn’t let anyone else. “Would you call me by my name?”

“Is that what you want?”

“What I want is to not be another one of your tools,” she told him. 

Nero was silent for a moment, making her wonder if he wasn’t really interested in looking at her as a person, but she didn’t want any part of him if he wouldn’t treat her like one.

Then his body was leaned over her, his lips to her ear as he whispered, “Tell me you want me to touch you,  _ Carine. _ ”

_ Oh for the love of the Twelve and every other holy being ever imagined in all of Hydaelyn! My name has no right sounding that good out of his fucking mouth, _ she scolded herself as she gasped. 

“Touch me,” she whispered with trembling lips, but instead of feeling his hand reaching higher to softly caress her, he pulled away. 

“Up, on the bed,” he ordered, his voice sounding strained as he helped her to her feet. He crawled onto the soft mattress and pulled her over to him, forcing her to sit between his legs. He moved his hands underneath her own and stared at her through the mirror that sat across from them on the other side of the room. “I’m not about to get slapped again, so show me where you want me to touch you.  _ How _ you want me to touch you.”

Now Carine felt shy as she looked at their reflection staring back at her. Here she was, blushing scarlet, her back pressed against Nero’s chest and he had just asked her to show him what she wanted. And from the way he was staring so intently at her through the mirror, it looked as though he wanted to  _ watch. _

His bloody ego knew no bounds. 

“I-I don’t think…” she stuttered, looking away from the intensity of his blue eyes. “I can’t watch.”

“So don’t. Close your eyes, imagine whatever you wish to imagine,” he rumbled in her ear. “I’d prefer it to be me, but I have found I haven’t quite mastered mind control.”

Carine let out a breathy laugh, the tension easing up a bit as she tilted her head to look at his jawline. She couldn’t watch what she was about to let him do, but if she were distracted enough…

“Kiss me?”

“Am I going to be slapped?” he asked, his lip curling into the seductive smirk she found herself thinking was incredibly sexy, even for a Garlean.

“I slapped you because you were a pig. I enjoyed the kiss,” she smiled up at him, meaning it. 

His lips nibbled at her ear, down the side of her neck, and back up again, pausing long enough to tell her, “I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the fact that I am, indeed, the best at all I do.”

Carine was just about to scold him when he tilted her face to his, pulling her in for a deep, passionate kiss that set the endings of every nerve in her body on fire. She couldn’t help but moan into his mouth as the rich flavors of the coffee mingled with his breath caressed against her tongue, driving her higher and higher. Before she knew it, she had pulled one of his hands to her breast, allowing him to cup and massage it through the silky fabric. The sensation of it pulling against her tightening nipples only enhanced her excitement as she deepened the kiss. 

Somehow this infuriating man had replaced her worries and anxiety with lust and desire for him, leaving no room for her troubles to interrupt. And, Nophica bless her, he needed no instruction on how to pluck and pull at her tight little buds, pleasuring her far better than he had any right to. With one hand teasing her breast, she pushed the other one further down to where the hem of her robe had risen on her thighs. 

Nero broke from the kiss turning to face the mirror and driving her curiosity to do the same. She almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back at her, wet hair in a tangled mess, lips freshly kissed, eyes glassy with a desire she hadn’t remembered feeling so strongly before. And the way he was looking at her? Gods, she almost believed that he wanted it as badly as she did. 

“Ah, look at you,” he purred in her ear, his gaze burning into hers through their reflection. “I’m not the only one with an ego.”

Hells, Carine didn’t even want to prove him wrong, so she slowly opened her thighs, guiding his hand to their peak and bit her lip as she allowed him to cup her mound. She couldn’t believe she was letting him do this. She couldn’t believe she was  _ watching _ herself letting him do this, but there was something incredibly sexy in the way he waited for her permission to go further. 

Had she really been so worried he would take advantage?

“Tsk tsk, Carine,” he said to her, his fingers pressing against the lacy fabric that separated him from his prize. “I thought I told you to only wear the robe?”

“Yeah, well, I never have been that great at following orders,” she said breathlessly, riding on a high she wanted to continue chasing. “For what it’s worth, that’s the only other thing I’m wearing.”

He smiled against her, keeping a constant watch as he continued gently caressing her through the fabric of her underthings. “Prove it.”

Carine knew damn well that  _ he _ knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. He had only been pinching and pulling at her nipples through the thin silk that separated her skin from his, but that didn’t stop her from removing her hands from his and slowly pulling on the sash, watching as he licked his lips hungrily while she pulled apart the robe to reveal her nakedness beneath. She had never felt so exhilarated in her entire life than she did in this moment, and from the appreciative bob of his throat, it seemed that Nero quite enjoyed the show. 

His meticulous ministrations to her body had driven her half out of her mind with lust she couldn’t deny, and she found herself needing more from him. “Nero?”

“Hmm?” his chest rumbled against her back a he watched his fingers slowly trace the outer edges of her lips through the thin, and frankly soaked, fabric.

“Can I-can we…” she stuttered, blushing at her reflection in the mirror. 

“Tell me what you want from me, Carine. I won’t take or give unless I have your permission,” he reminded her, continuing his gradual pace.

She pressed her eyes closed tightly and moved his fingers so they would hook the edge of her smallclothes, pulling them to the side so he wouldn’t have to continue teasing her through them. 

“Are you sure you want me to touch you without them?” he growled in her ear. She dared to peek through her lashes at their reflection to find his eyes burning hot with everything she seemed to be feeling. She nodded, but he still didn’t move to touch her. “I need you to say it, Carine.”

“Really? You  _ have _ to hear me tell you that I want them off?” she frowned at him. 

A mischievous smirk curled the corners of his lips, making him look every bit the demon that she thought he was this moment. He slowly traced his other hand down, hooking his thumb into the waistband of the undergarment and oh so slowly urged them down her thighs until he could reach no further. Carine needed no prompting to kick them off the rest of the way, nervously, yet eagerly, pressing her back against him and allowing her thighs to part for his personal viewing pleasure. 

“Touch me,” she begged, pulling his hand back to her sex, slicking his fingers through the folds and shuddering at the contact. “Show me what you say I have been missing.”

_ Oh my little wife, how quickly you learn to play by my rules, _ he mused to himself, submitting to her request. 

It had been quite the slow task, but worth it as she gave him the power to tease and pleasure her as he had wanted to do since the moment he had started rubbing her shoulders. To watch her watch him so intensely as he achingly slowly pressed a finger into her quivering depth was an added bonus in his eyes. Nothing was quite more erotic than experiencing her watching just how wild and free she was, rolling her hips to his rhythm and pressing herself against her palm as she opened up for him. 

Dare he say that it was a beautiful sight?

His cock throbbed hard with every soft sound she made, or when her entire body shuddered with pleasure as he circled the tight bundle of nerves nestled there between her thighs. He repeated the process over and over, dipping his finger within her and then removing it to swirl around her clit and back again while his other hand plucked and teased her breast. Each time, her sounds became louder and her tension grew stronger so that her toes were curling with the need for release.

“Look at yourself,  _ Carine, _ ” he growled into her ear. “Watch yourself as I make you come.”

By the Allagans, she  _ obeyed, _ forcing her eyes open as he picked up the pace. Her back arched off of him as she fought to hold on, but he begged her to let go until finally she could hold on no longer.

And what a sight it was. Carine tossed her head back against his shoulder, his name falling from her lips and echoing in the room as her entire body convulsed against him. His cock throbbed hard in response, begging to thrust into her and experience the clenching of her dripping cunt as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her again and again.

As she came down from her climax, Nero nuzzled into her neck, kissing and praising her as she slumped against him. Her chest rose and fell from the intensity of it all, eyes dilated and glassy as they stared back at him through the mirror. Slowly and carefully he pulled his fingers from her, wiping them against the sheet as she closed her legs and rested against his chest.

“I take it you feel better?” he asked, carefully moving her to one side so she could lay down fully. As much as he wanted to keep going, it was clear to him that she was spent.

“Mhmm,” she mumbled, curling into a ball on the bed while he pulled the blankets over her. “Maybe there is something to you being the best in all that you do.”

Her admission made him chuckle as he reached for his magitek screen and that piece of the Ultima Weapon he had been studying while she was bathing earlier. If he wasn’t going to get any sort of release himself this evening, he might as well put for the effort in understanding what he had learned from earlier that night.

“Get some sleep, little bird,” he told her, heading for the door. 

“Wait,” she called out, turning over and scowling. “You’re just going to leave? What about you?” she asked, looking down at his straining erection. 

“You’re exhausted, and quite frankly I don’t believe you have the energy needed for me to train you in how to properly pleasure a man,” he said. “Perhaps tomorrow?”

This seemed to abdicate her for the time being as she sank back into the covers of her bed and rested her head against the pillow. “Okay.”

Dodging that line of curiosity, Nero left the room and went to his workshop, pausing to look at the screen long enough to see that he had missed several summons from Gaius himself. 

_ Never a bloody moment’s peace around here, _ he said to himself as he pulled on a coat and put the materia in his pocket.  _ It’s always something. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so a lot of updates today, but the last two were originally going to be one chapter. Decided it was better to break it down. 
> 
> AND FINALLY SOMETHING HAPPENED!!! Only took almost 40k words to get there xD
> 
> _And more is yet to come ;)_


	10. Two Sides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Orders are orders..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!! I just started a new job, so for the next 2 weeks a lot of the free time I had to write is going to be dedicated to training in this new position and finishing out my two weeks with my other job. I do plan on trying to get some more stuff dished out this weekend and Monday and Tuesday, so stay tuned!

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Livia snarled as she opened the door to her living quarters, green eyes glaring with fury at her late night visitor.

Nero paid her no mind, strolling in through her door and straight for the sitting room where he took a seat. “Is Gaius around? I see that he had need of me,” he said, glancing around the room. Livia might be a task oriented soldier, but the woman had impressive and expensive taste judging from her collection of Garlean relics and decor from their homeland. 

“He  _ was _ sleeping before you so rudely interrupted,” she replied.

“And  _ I _ was in the middle of some very important business when he so rudely summoned me,” Nero replied, picking up one of the books on the side table. He flipped through it, feigning interest in whatever information it held, and waited for his mentor to come and tell him what had been so godsdamned important to be summoned at such an hour.

He didn’t have too long to wait before the man that had been almost a father figure to him stepped out of his bedchamber and into the common area donning a black robe and slacks. It was rare to see the man without his armor, but that didn’t make him any less formidable. He was still tall, and despite his age, Gaius was still well muscled from his vigorous training. A neatly trimmed peppered beard lined his strong jaw and thick, salt and pepper hair fell in waves to his broad shoulders. 

“Ah, Gaius! Good evening,” Nero smiled cheerfully at the Legatus, ignoring the burning glare from his blue eyes. “I trust I have not interrupted anything?”

Livia looked as though she were about to burst with all the rage that she held within, but the moment her husband touched her arm, she calmed considerably. As far as Nero knew, Gaius was the only one that could extinguish the flames of that woman and control the inferno she became when angered with a simple touch.

And Nero had just made the pretty blonde  _ very _ angry. 

“You ignored my summons and then chose to wake both me and my wife at such a late hour. What do you have to say for yourself?” Gaius asked, taking a seat in the over large chair by the window. Livia draped herself beside him, the calm, well behaved pet that she was to the man she adored. 

“To be quite fair, you interrupted me first,” Nero told him, putting the book back where he found it and crossed one long leg over the other. 

Gaius frowned at him, his dark, heavy brows furrowing together until a moment of realization dawned on his face. It seemed to make the Legatus look at Nero in an entirely new light as he leaned forward. “I see. Forgive me, Nero, you have been married to her for several weeks now. Surely you can understand that I wouldn’t have known you would have finally started consummating with her.”

Nero smiled, relieved to see that his little theory had worked. “Apology accepted. I trust that my missing your summons is also forgiven?

“Of course. However there are a few matters that must be discussed. Most importantly is the fact that your wife missed her curfew this evening. I am to understand that she was captured during a mission with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn?” Gaius leaned back in his chair. 

“She was, my lord. She explained that in order to gain their trust in her, they offered to put her through a trial of sorts. As you can see, that plan did not work out as she thought it would,” Nero explained. “I cannot tell you whether or not they would have considered her trial a success or failure or if they will seek her out again, but I did keep our troops at bay just in case.”

“Only because you wished to test the power of the Primal. Do not coat your actions with honey, Scaeva. We both know what you were doing on that cliff,” Livia interrupted. Gaius raised a hand to quieten her, his expression as stoic as ever. 

“Of course I wanted to test the power of Ifrit. It is my  _ job _ to know how Ultima works against the eikons in case you have forgotten,” Nero pointed out. 

“Enough, the both of you,” Gaius ordered, his eyes glaring at Nero and his hand pressed to his wife’s knee. Immediately the two of them stopped from arguing further. “My wife tells me that you seemed to have discovered something interesting when you were performing your observation. What was it?”

Ah yes, this was what Nero was ready for. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the materia that he had been holding onto for the duration of the fight until it had become too hot to the touch. Now, it had cooled, but the power was still pulsing within as he handed it over to his mentor. Gaius turned it over in his hand, examining it with curiosity before looking up at him with questioning eyes. 

“I haven’t had time to return to the lab to run any test, but in the presence of the Primal, even as far away as we were from it, that tiny piece of Ultima  _ absorbed _ his power,” he explained.

“Which means?”

“I don’t believe Ultima destroys the Primals or their power, not in the way we theorized it did. Obviously it’s a weapon, but I haven’t been able to deduce how it worked. Until now,” Nero went on, taking the materia back and holding it up. “Ultima  _ absorbs _ Primals. I theorize that this little piece most likely weakened the eikon to that puny display dear Livia and I witnessed. If it absorbs them, then I wonder if it somehow uses their power as its own.”

He couldn’t say that he had ever truly seen Gaius as a happy man. He always wore the same stoic expression with his helm or not no matter the occasion, but the way his eyes lit up as Nero’s words sank in, he could tell that the man was thrilled at the news. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the opportunity he needed to finally deliver the land he had promised to his emperor.

And Nero was the only person capable of delivering it to him.

“I trust you will get to work on proving this theory true first thing in the morning?” Gaius asked. 

Who needed sleep when fame and fortune and the promise of going down in history was on the line? “Of course, however, I will need your permission to refrain from fighting the Primals to absorb more of their energy to properly power Ultima.”

“Whatever you need, just get it done as soon as possible.” And with a wave of his hand, Nero was dismissed from the apartment. 

 

***

 

Carine didn’t see Nero for two straight days after he left her that night. 

It wasn’t as though she were  _ completely _ heartbroken over the fact because, if she were honest, it was good that she didn’t have to face him. She could barely look at herself in that mirror across from her bed without thinking about watching him touch her, always turning dalamud red before choosing to leave the room or cover it with a sheet. Imagining having to look at him or talk to him...that was more than what she was capable of at the moment.

Yet she couldn’t help but replay the memory in her mind over and over. The way he had massaged her muscles into jelly, the feel of his nose brushing against her cheek, the gentle caress of his fingers against her skin, and how those cold blue eyes commanded her to watch him as he strummed her like a well played harp...all of it was so vivid and fresh in her mind and oh so  _ good. _

She almost hated herself for wanting more.

Unfortunately it seemed he had made some sort of breakthrough that had Gaius eager to keep him at work for long hours. Carine was sure he didn’t even return to her bed the night he had left after...after he had driven her wild with lust, and now he was coming in long after she had fallen asleep and was gone before she was fully awake. How Nero could function off coffee alone was a mystery to her. 

As usual, he had left her a note letting her know they were nearly out of coffee. Nothing else. Carine wasn’t sure why it bothered her so badly that he made no mention of that night, but it did every morning that she woke up to his elegant handwriting telling her what he expected of her. Something as incredibly Nero as possible would have been preferable to nothing, like “I told you I was the best” or “So it appears my little bird  _ can _ sing”. All she got was the occasional glimpse of him climbing into bed, the smell of dark roast coffee and metal enveloping her before she drifted off once again.

Despite whatever conflicting emotions she was currently experiencing in her domestic life, Carine still had a job to do and had to return once again to the Scions. She went through the usual process of having her bags checked as she left the castrum, then boarded on an airship bound for Gridania. Before she went wherever the Scions wanted her, she would have to check on her mother first. 

“Oh there you are! Where have you been Carine?” she asked the moment she walked through the door. From a swift glance, she could tell that everything was as it should be and her mother hadn’t feared the worst, giving her a moment’s relief as she gave her a hug.

“I took a couple of days to...recover from the ambush,” she told her. She didn’t want to say too much in case Nero or the Garleans had somehow bugged her mother’s home and were listening in to make sure that she didn’t say anything she shouldn’t have. It was doubtful they would, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Her mother smiled and hugged her tightly, “Sweetheart, I was so worried when they had told me what happened-”

“When who told you what happened?” Carine froze, pulling away to look at the woman before her. 

“Why, the Scions. They told me about the Primal and how you were left to fight it on you own and-” her mother stammered, confusion writ on her face. 

“The Scions know you live here? How? Since when?” she asked her.

“Honey, they have always known. I sought them out after you and Violaine were taken by those monsters in hopes that they could help me get my girls back. That order I had you take to Vesper Bay that day wasn’t a random rush order from a new client. It was for them to meet you,” she explained. 

Well that was just lovely. Not only did the Garleans have her mother to hold over her head to get her to do things for them, but the Scions had her now too. It didn’t seem likely they would threaten her life the way Nero had to get their way, but just knowing that they were aware of her was enough to make Carine’s blood run cold. At this moment, her mother was all she had. Violaine was gone and Nero still refused to disclose any more information about her other than ‘she’s safe’.

“I have to go,” she told her, going to her room and gathering the linkpearl that she needed to get into contact with the Scions and a few other things. “And Mama? If I leave some gil here with you, could you please run to the market and grab me two of the largest bags of coffee beans?”

Her mother nodded, looking at her with concern as she watched her head out the door and for the stables to grab Buck. It had been several days since he had last had a good run, and now Carine was looking forward to clearing her mind of the worry that always seemed to come when her mother’s safety was at risk. 

The Elezen took an airship to Ul’dah and then urged her Chocobo to run as quickly as he could without overtaxing the poor bird to Horizon. She still wasn’t sure where the Scion’s home base of operation was, but dammit she would make them tell her now after everything she had gone through for them.

This time it wasn’t Thancred that met her in the small town of Horizon, but a Miqo’te named Y’shtola. She wasn’t nearly as talkative as the Hyur and seemed to carry about an air of wisdom despite not being much older than Carine herself. She also seemed to be in no rush as she lead Carine out of Horizon and onto the road towards Vesper Bay, keeping a slow and steady pace that the Elezen knew would leave her burned by the time they got to where they were going.

The two made their way through the port city towards a tavern by the water. Carine knew this place well, she and Violaine would sometimes stop by after a long day of selling their wares when they visited the port city for drinks and shameless flirting with the locals. The memories were bittersweet, filling her heart with the love she had for her sister and breaking it in the same breath as she did not know what had become of her. 

What she would give for those simple days where the only worry they had was who was casting dibs on which man at the bar.

“Oh ‘Shtola, good to see you! The others are waiting down below,” a perky little Lalafell beamed as they entered the tavern. Carine recognized her as the very same one that had mentioned something about the Garleans the day of the Draft by her cart. “And you! They’re waiting for you too.”

“Thank you, Tataru,” Y’shtola said with a gentle smile and ushered Carine down the stairs to the back of the building to a small door, hidden away from prying eyes. It seemed that there were wards placed over the door, and Y’shtola went to work on taking them down to allow them passage. 

She wasn’t sure what she had expected from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, but nothing had quite prepared her for the extensive underground system they had below the tiny tavern. It seemed as though the entire base of operations was located under all of Vesper Bay. Halls jutted out from the sides of the main hallway, leading to Carine could only guess where, and everywhere she looked there were people working. Some were carpenters, shaping wood into arrows or bows or lances or staffs. Some were leather workers, putting together light armor sets. Mostly it seemed to be people who were moving or taking stock of the weapons and armor pieces. It made one thing painfully clear.

The Scions were preparing for war.

Y’shtola continued on ahead towards a double set of doors at the end of the hall. Before they had even reached them, the doors opened to reveal the office Carine had remembered being in the day that Thancred had kidnapped her. Minfilia was standing behind her desk, looking up from the paperwork littered there to greet the two of them with a warm smile. Some of the other Scions were there as well, obviously waiting on her arrival.

“I trust you are well rested, Carine?” the Hyur asked, walking around the desk to greet her. 

Carine nodded, “Well enough, thank you.”

“Glad am I to hear it. I was worried when Thancred told me you would not be returning with him that evening,” Minfilia said.

“Until that treaty is nullified, I am obligated to return to the castrum,” Carine reminded her. “You want me there for your own purposes as well, remember?”

“Not any longer. You are a far greater use to us here than you are there considering your special gifts,” the Hyur’s gentle face turned serious as she straightened her back to face her. “Are they aware of what you can do?”

“Hells, I’m not even aware of what I can do,” Carine snorted. She couldn’t explain how her weapons had become light in her hands as she faced down the Primal, or how the eikon hadn’t been able to control her like he had everyone else. In everything she had read or learned, nothing explained what she had been able to do. Was it some sort of ability triggered by being in the presence of the eikon? There had been an  _ awful _ lot of aether floating around that could explain some things, maybe.

The best part about it, Carine was absolutely certain that Nero did not know.

“I believe you are in possession of a gift known as the Echo,” Minfilia stated. “It manifests differently in those that possess it in accordance to how Hydaelyn wishes us to use it. Yours seems to be an aptitude for weaponry and fighting skill, if what Thancred told me is correct.”

Thancred? He hadn’t shown up until the moment the fight had ended. How would he have known what skills she had during the fight? Carine looked at him, noting how he averted her gaze to look down at his boots while picking his nails with a blade. 

_ “Orders are orders.” _ It dawned on her then, the realization that the Scions had  _ been  _ there while she was fighting for her life and everyone elses to  _ watch. _ The taste of bile filled her mouth as she turned her glare from the guilty man to the woman who didn’t seem the least bit troubled.

“I trust you have a better reason for hanging back on the sidelines than Nero did?” Carine asked, carefully containing her anger. Yes, she was still upset over the fact he hadn’t come to help, but how could she have expected him to? If she died, he was free of her to do what he wanted. He would have no more obligation to share his space with the woman he was forced into marrying, but Minfilia and the Scions? What excuse did they have?

“When you were first brought here, I thought I sensed the Echo within you. Faint, but it was there. I knew you had the gift, but you had to learn to open yourself to it,” Minfilia explained. “You were never in any real danger. Had the fight with Ifrit not gone in your favor, he would have been dealt with.”

Anger was too soft a word for what Carine felt for this woman. How easy it must be to tell her that she was in no real danger while she was most likely sitting here in this very office hiding away from the Imperials and their bloody Draft. How easy it was to tell someone they were in no real danger when facing down their greatest fear after seeing the aftermath of a Primal that had been unleashed on the world. How easy it was for her to tell Carine that Ifrit would have been dealt with when she knew damn well somewhere within her that Minfilia and the Scions had  _ nothing  _ that could have stopped that Primal after he had gained enough strength. 

“Great, so you just happened to serve me up as a sacrifice to the beast and hope for the best. Is that how the Scions run things?” she asked. “What if this-this Echo didn’t manifest the way it did? What if it was some enhanced form of stitchwork?”

“Hydaelyn does not gift us meaninglessly. Each of us with the Echo have a part to play in protecting our realm. The chances your Echo would have been enhanced stitchwork were minimal,” Minfilia smiled. “Surely you have always known there was something special about you? You hunt far more proficient than most your age and your skills with the bow and lance are widely praised in Gridania by your comrades.”

“That’s called practice and patience. And patiently practicing nearly every day. Anyone can do it if they have the dedication and time to do so,” Carine grumbled. Of course, most people didn’t learn quite as quickly as she did, but her sister was the same way in the art of magic. Did that mean she had the Echo as well? 

“Be that as it may,” the Hyur began, interrupting her train of thought. “You are what we needed, I cannot deny that. And we need you here.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but unless you can promise my mother full protection, I am going back,” she snapped in response. “As nice and extensive as this place is you have here, it’s one way in and one way out. What if the Garleans attack? Sorry, but you will just have to borrow me from time to time.”

Minfilia looked to the others with a sad expression, but ultimately conceded to Carine’s demands. She wasn’t wrong, and everyone in the room knew it. “Very well. I did not wish to continue straining your responsibilities, but if this is what you are willing to do, then I will not stand in your way,” she said with a slight nod. “However, I will need an extensive itinerary of where you are and when. I wish for you to be trained in all manner of weaponry we have available to us by our friends here.”

It seemed fair enough, so long as she wouldn’t go anywhere she wouldn’t normally have to and as long as it was away from prying Imperial eyes. It wouldn’t do for word to reach Nero and let him know that his Eorzean wife was somehow learning weapon skills at a rate no normal or even advanced soldier would, so she nodded her head in agreement. 

“Good, you will begin your training today with Yda on hand to hand combat,” Minfilia ordered, turning back to her desk and dismissing everyone else. 

“Wait,” Carine stepped up. “Before I do any of this, can you take me to Marni? I told her I would be bringing her to my mother once we were finished with Ifrit.”

Minfilia turned to her, a questioning expression on her face as if she were unsure of who Carine was talking about. She went on to explain that she was an orphan girl that had been with her during the summoning of the Primal, the very one that had triggered Carine into taking up arms against the beast in the first place. The Hyur listened, recognition flashing in her eyes followed by a sorrowful expression. 

“What is it?” Carine asked, her stomach knotting within her. She didn’t like that look, or the way Thancred hurried out of the room the moment Marni’s name came up. It didn’t help matters when Minfilia asked her to take a seat in one of the plush chairs that sat before her desk. She didn’t want to sit, she wanted to know where Marni was.

“What do you know about the way Primals affect us mortals?” she asked the Elezen. 

“I know I wasn’t affected, and there were prisoners still within the cave systems that weren’t. And I know they can wipe us out if given enough power,” Carine answered honestly. 

“When a Primal is summoned, they command to be worshipped by any and all. They not only draw their power from the aether within crystals, they also draw their power from the aether within us,” Minfilia explained. “If they are able to tap into our aether, they can control our mind and our actions, making us a thrall. You and I, both having the Echo, are immune to this calling as Hydaelyn protects us, but she cannot protect everyone…”

All of that made sense, at least to some degree. Carine felt Ifrit trying to tap into her soul, but all that had done was leave her disoriented for a few moments and a little unstable. Everyone else around her, including the Amalj’aa, had immediately turned to face the eikon, praising his name and declaring him their one true god. “Okay, but when I destroyed him, that power was cut off, right? Everyone was able to go back to normal?”

Minfilia shook her head sadly. “No, Carine. Once you are a thrall, you remain so. There is no cure that we have yet discovered, though several people are studying the matter including Urianger.”

Carine’s blood turned to ice in her veins. That couldn’t be right. She may have never had the gift with magic that her sister had, but Carine knew well enough that if you destroyed the source of the power, the magic stopped. How could one continued staying enthralled to a being that was no longer?

As if hearing her inner thoughts, the Hyur answered the question, “Primals do not truly die. They live on because someone believes in them. They are faith manifested into physical form.”

“No.” Carine shook her head violently, not wishing to make any further connections. “You’re wrong. Where’s Marni?”

“Carine, we did what we had to do-”

“Which was what exactly?” she cried, tears already welling up in her eyes. “Tell me, Minfilia, what  _ did _ you have to do to a poor, defenseless girl?”

Of course Carine already knew what they had done, but she couldn’t help but let her emotions get the best of her as she rounded on the Highlander. Minfilia just stood there, eyes wide with shock as Carine stepped closer and met her face to face. She wanted her to admit it, to say it out loud. She wanted the woman to know, to  _ feel _ like the monster Carine saw her as. 

“If we didn’t end their suffering, they would have continued to try and bring Ifrit back. It was not safe for Eorzea to allow them to live. You know this,” she tried to explain. 

Carine barked in laughter, disbelief at her audacity to speak like she was saving Eorzeans. “Tell me, oh great antecedent, did you have your men go to the other Amalj’aa tribes and kill them off? Isn’t their belief in their god just as likely to bring him back?”

“To believe and worship something is one thing, Carine. To actively gather power sources in order to bring it to physical form is quite something else,” she explained. “It was not an easy decision to be made, but both I and Raubahn with the Immortal Flames felt that it was the best call.”

“Yeah? Is that what you told the families of those that lost loved ones? Leaving out the crucial part where you sat on your fucking hands while waiting on my stupid gift to manifest?” Carine spat. “And here I thought the Garleans were the monsters in this world. Truth is, you aren’t so different from them after all.”

With that, Carine stomped out of the solar, leaving Minfilia behind and alone. She no longer felt like training with them. Hells, she didn’t feel like  _ fighting _ for them. Never in her life would she imagine sympathizing with the Garleans. From what she had heard and learned through the terribly boring reading material that Nero gave her, they wanted to bring about the end of Primals just as badly as the Eorzeans. The entire Meteor Project was proof enough of that, and even then, according to Nero, Gaius had been against the plan from the start. It had been too extreme, too devastating, too cruel. 

So what in Seven Hells made these Scions any better if they were willing to sacrifice the lives of innocents just to waken a power that seemed to have lay dormant in her for years?

Carine was faintly aware that she was being followed, but she wasn’t about to turn around and apologize. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing for her to be sorry for. She had promised Marni everything was going to be okay because she had faith that the Scions would deliver. They didn’t and now there was a little girl lying dead somewhere in Thanalan with no one to mourn her or bury her or honor her memory.

“A moment, if you’ve a mind,” Y’shtola blocked her path. Carine was nearly ready to lay into her as well, but the Miqo’te’s face only held understanding and sympathy for her so she allowed it. “Come.”

She followed the mage out of the Waking Sands and towards the water’s edge where children were currently splashing about. Some of them weren’t much older or younger than Marni, which made her heart break into a thousand pieces. She would never get to run and play with friends. Never get to feel the love Carine’s mother would have given her if she had been given the opportunity. It wasn’t fair. 

“You did not fail her, you know,” Y’shtola said, looking over at the Elezen beside her. “You did everything you could.”

“Yet she is dead because of the inaction of  _ your _ leader,” Carine said, clenching her jaw. 

“‘Tis so, I will not deny this, nor will Minfilia,” she nodded. “She was left with a choice. Save those few people in the Bowl of Embers, or save all of Eorzea from every threat that could come our way in the future. Tell me, Carine, what would you have done?”

The Elezen cautiously eyed the Miqo’te, not liking the way she was turning this logic against her. She wasn’t the one in charge of making the decisions, she didn’t want to be. “What if something else would have triggered this Echo thing? Why not attempt to put my life in danger without risking other’s lives?”

“There were no guarantees anything we did would have worked. Minfilia and the rest of us agreed that the action we took, or lack thereof, was the best chance at getting you to see your true potential,” she explained. “It wasn’t perfect, rarely are such situations meant to be, but now you know how important you are for our future.”

“Tell that to Marni and the others. They have no future,” Carine mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and looked down to the water lapping at the stone beneath them.

“They do not, but look around you. All of these people do. They do not know who you are yet, Carine, but they will. They will gladly owe you their life one day if we are successful, but you have to want to fight for them all,” Y’shtola waved her arm before her, pointing out the children swimming in the water, their mother’s watching closely nearby. 

As much as she hated to admit that she was right, Carine couldn’t help but bow her head. Her Mama had always taught her to put the good of others above herself, and it had been that logic that had lead her to facing her fear and defeating Ifrit in the first place. It felt wrong though, to accept that Marni was a sacrifice needed to be made so that she could better protect the realm from other threats.

“I will not be used as an unknowing pawn from now on,” Carine said, lifting her chin and looking into the horizon. “Any decision that is to be made involving me will include me, is that clear?”

“I agree,” another voice said from behind. Y’shtola and Carine both turned to see Thancred coming up to them, the blue horned helmet that she had worn during her battle against the Primal in his hands. The Midlander handed it to her, his eyes apologetic as he stepped back. “You have done more than prove your loyalty to us. We all agree that now you should be included in all decisions we make, so long as you don’t go telling it all to your husband, that is.”

Carine took the helmet, turning it over in her hands as she felt the weight it brought to her. While the helm itself wasn’t too heavy or bulky, it carried the weight of everyone’s future with it, the weight she would be bearing on her shoulders from now on, but it also gave her power. With this helmet, she could strike back against the Primals that would manifest before she could stop them and secure a safer tomorrow for the world around her. She looked between her two new companions, both watching and waiting. 

“I guess I should start training then, yeah?”


	11. Momentary Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I told you I wouldn’t stroke your ego,” she replied, reaching behind her to grasp his erection in her hand.  
>  “And yet here we are."_

Everyday Carine would be met by one of the Scions near wherever she was supposed to be traveling to. Either Yda, Thancred, Y’shtola, or Papalymo would approach her, forcing her into combative situations with an appropriate weapon to wield. 

Yda would meet her on gathering missions in the Twelveswood, showing the Elezen fancy footwork and lightning speed skills that would leave a foe disoriented. Thancred would meet her on gathering missions in Thanalan, teaching her how to balance blade work and disappear into the shadows. Both of those lessons went surprisingly well considering Carine had never fought in close melee situations before. She had some experience with her lance, but she could use it to get out of a sticky situation quickly, and in a last ditch effort could throw the weapon at her foe from a short distance with accuracy. 

The trouble she had was the lessons involving magic. As far as Eorzeans were concerned, everyone could tap into their aether and use it as a weapon, whether it be harnessing the power of fire, ice, and lightning or the healing aspects of wind, water, and stone. Carine had never been apt with magic, unlike her sister Violaine who had tapped into it so effortlessly, but she gave her lessons her all. Both Papalymo and Y’shtola were patient and kind teachers that promised that one day she would get better at it. 

That was a gross underestimation if there ever had been.

Still, the Scions worked with her every day to improve her skills and test her limits while waiting on news of more Primal summoning. As far as they knew, the Kobolds of La Noscea and the Ixal of Gridania had quelled their growing fears in the wake of the defeat of Ifrit, not wishing for their gods to face the same fate, but it was only a matter of time before they would lose their patience.

Life with Nero remained as it usually had. He was never home long enough to do anything other than sleep a few hours before he left Carine alone again for the day. She wasn’t even sure if he was checking in with her and her whereabouts as he was supposed to be doing, but that worked in her favor for the moment. He had even gone back to sleeping in his own room, another thing that bothered her though it certainly shouldn’t have. 

He had only done what he did to try and trick the system, did he not? She was fairly sure he had been clear on what they were trying to achieve, but she had also thought that maybe he had been trying to convince her for  _ more. _

_ Well he succeeded in that endeavor and is now nowhere to be found, _ she thought to herself as she prepared the coffee for his evening return. 

Carine heard the elevator ping, announcing his arrival which shocked the Elezen. He was home early today…and he wasn’t wearing the armor he had been wearing when he left this morning.  _ How strange, _ she thought, turning to hand him a mug. The Garlean graciously accepted her gift, breathing in the steam and smiling to himself before taking a sip. Apparently it was a good day for him. 

She turned back to the sink to finish washing the few dishes she had dirtied when making her dinner, ignoring the man that was currently watching her from behind. 

“You’re skin is getting darker,” he noted.

“I’ve been in Thanalan a lot recently. Mother has me collecting materials out there for her carts to sell this weekend,” she told him, stiffening the moment she felt his hands at her sun-kissed arms. 

“Don’t let me distract you. I want this kitchen spotless,” he purred in her ear, nipping at the tip. 

_ Blessed Nophica, grant me strength, _ she prayed as his hands traveled down her arms, her skin pebbling in their wake while his lips brushed against the line of her jaw. How in Nophica’s name was she supposed to clean when he was melting her? Carine swallowed hard, concentrating as much as possible on just finishing the dishes. One thing at a time…

Nero’s hand slipped up her shirt, fingers sliding up her taunt stomach before cupping her bare breast beneath the fabric. She gasped, nearly dropping the mug in her hand at the contact, unconsciously pressing herself into his eager palm. It was wrong, she knew that, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the feel of him against her. At least she could admit it to herself, knowing full well the only reason she wanted him as badly as she did was because she had allowed him to do things that no one else had done, or anyone else would do if he had a say. 

She was his puppet on a string, and so long as he only played with her in the privacy of their own apartment, she felt no need to feel ashamed of her desire.

Once the dishes were done, Carine needed to wipe down the counter. Greedy Nero was making moving difficult as he teased her neck with his teeth and her breasts with his nimble fingers. Already she was falling apart in his experienced hands, wishing to put down the rag and surrender to his ministrations.

But the asshole just wouldn’t allow that.

“You left crumbs on my counter,  _ Carine, _ ” he crooned her name in her ear.  _ Fuck, _ she couldn’t resist him saying her name, not when he only said it in these moments. It didn’t even matter he had brought her over the edge one time, her body already knew what it meant. 

“Can’t it wait?” she whispered with trembling lips, turning her head just enough in hopes of catching a heated kiss. 

“Unfortunately it cannot. The sooner you get it done, the sooner I can reward you,” he promised, turning her head back to the task at hand while plucking her nipples hard. She let out an audible groan, tossing her head back against his shoulder and pressed her ass straight into the growing erection behind her. 

What in Seven Hells had brought this on?

Perhaps she should have questioned his motives, but Carine was far too eager to have more of him that she did as he commanded, the good little puppet she was in his home. She grabbed the soft cloth and ran it under the water, wringing it out to wipe off any and all crumbs she left there. By the looks of things, it really hadn’t been much. All the while Nero complimented her and rewarded her through a mix of gentle and rough biting on her neck. 

“You missed some over there,” he told her, pointing to the otherside of the counter just out of reach. 

Carine knew damn well there wasn’t a crumb over there, she liked to keep her messes contained in the smallest area possible, but she couldn’t resist the idea of standing up on her tiptoes to reach across with him behind her. She did as she was told, reaching as far as she could only to feel his fingers slide between her thighs and against the shorts she was wearing. A muffled “fuck” rewarded her efforts as he pressed against her through her clothes. 

“We still doing the thing where I tell you what I want?” Carine asked breathlessly, her cheek pressed against the cold countertop to allow him as much access to her nether regions as possible. 

“Depends on what you ask of me,” he replied, his hand at her breast sliding away and down to her hip. 

“Take them off...my shorts…” she told him, cheeks burning from embarrassment at how shaky her voice was. Nero did as he was instructed, hooking his thumbs into the waistband and pulling them down so fucking slow. He seemed to go down with them, lips and teeth exchanging brushes with her thighs. On his way back up, his expert fingers ghosted along her skin, following the contours of her lean figure before resting at her hip. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I would think my wife enjoys my touch,” he mocked her and she didn’t care. He was right. She  _ loved _ it. 

“I told you I wouldn’t stroke your ego,” she replied, reaching behind her to grasp his erection in her hand. 

“And yet here we are,” Nero growled, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her back against him. He didn’t pull away from her touch, if anything he seemed to like what she was doing despite her not having a clue as to how to please him. “Eager little virgin, aren’t we?”

“How much longer do you expect to be using that line?” Carine quipped, grinning as he used his thigh to urge her legs apart. The hand not holding her hair trailed along the back of her thigh before settling between them, his fingers slowly tracing along her slit. She moaned as he parted her lips, barely brushing against her clit before pulling them back down towards her entrance. 

“As long as it takes to get you ready, my little wife,” he purred into her ear, kissing along her jaw while inserting two of his fingers into her pussy. 

Stroking him through his breeches was long forgotten as he pressed into her, coating his fingers with her desire. The hand that had been holding the back of her head moved down, wrapping gently around her throat, a thrilling and intoxicating surprise as he applied gentle pressure. It wasn’t enough to cut off her air, and given his desire to not do anything against her will, she was sure he would stop if she asked it of him. Coupled with his quick fingers, Carine was soon climbing to the edge and threatening to fall over. She wanted to move against him, needed more friction, but the position he held her in kept her from doing so. 

Just when she thought she would fall into oblivion, Nero pulled his clever fingers from her. Carine wanted to complain, but the moment she opened her mouth to do so, he swallowed her protest with a hard kiss. She turned, accepting him while he lifted her bare ass onto the cold countertop, making her hiss at the contact. Her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him deeper and closer, while his fingertips bruised her hips. She wasn’t even afraid anymore of letting him take her right here in the kitchen. Their window was high enough no one could see what they were doing and though he was being rough, he was also somehow gentle in his actions.

Nero’s fingers returned to her cleft, his thumb pressing against the swollen bundle of nerves while his middle and ring finger thrusted into her in quick, short bursts. It wasn’t long until she was moaning into his mouth and grinding her hips against his rhythm, desperate to keep up the pace and continue soaring higher.

He broke the kiss, his cold blue eyes clashing with her lilac as he pressed into her harder and harder. “I want to hear you sing for me,  _ Carine, _ ” he said, watching her face as the coil that had been tightening within her belly let go the moment her name rolled from his tongue. Her body jerked against his with the power of her orgasm, waves of her pleasure clenching his unrelenting fingers and all of it on display for him to enjoy. Naturally, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out as the force of it took over her, its tremors continuing to roll through her body until they finally stopped.

Her chest heaved as she sought to catch her breath while Nero kissed along her jawline and down her neck, whispering praises that woke the butterflies in her stomach. Her arms draped around his shoulders as she wrapped her legs about his waist, pulling him closer. 

“Think we have time for that lesson you promised me a week ago?” Carine asked, nipping at his neck. 

Nero pulled himself away from her, stooping down to gather her shorts and panties and put them in her hands with a shake of his head. “Not today, little bird. You might want to hurry and dress though,” he said as he looked down at a device on his wrist. “And clean the counter there too.”

Carine barely had time to ask why when the elevator pinged, announcing the arrival of someone she certainly wasn’t expecting. With a terrified squeak, she hopped off the counter and pulled on her shorts just in time to see Gaius van Baelsar stroll into their sitting room. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as she beheld him, her cheeks burning crimson as he turned to face her and Nero standing in their kitchen. 

And her ass marks were still on the damn counter.

Nero turned to Carine and flashed her a devious grin as he welcomed Gaius into his apartment. He could feel the glare of death she was sending his way, but oh what a lovely shade of pink she was today. It was worth it as far as he was concerned. 

“I seem to have interrupted something,” Gaius said as he looked between the two of them. Nero could hear her sharply inhale as she remembered that the Garleans could scent the pheromones in the air, making him smile. If she kept getting embarrassed at this rate, she was surely to explode from all the blood rushing to tint those cheeks, yet he couldn’t help but enjoy himself. 

“Nothing that can’t wait for a little longer, I assure you,” Nero replied. “Might I offer you something to drink? Carine makes a rather decent cup and this pot is still fresh.”

He knew that his mentor would refuse, he had always looked down on Nero’s addiction to the stuff, but he needed a few minutes to calm his own blood boiling beneath his skin. The scent of her was still permeating the air and driving him nearly mad with the desire to finish what he had started, and at the mention of her name, it had only gotten worse. 

“What are you doing here?” Carine asked, a note of anger in her voice. Nero rolled his eyes. Of course she would be difficult right now of all times. 

Gaius, still clad in his armor, turned his head to Nero and motioned for them to enter the sitting room. “Shall we?”

“I’ll join you in just a moment, my lord,” he replied, waiting until the giant of a man was seated with his back to them before adjusting himself in his breeches and turning to Carine. “Behave yourself and I shall reward you after, deal?” he whispered to her. 

“Like you rewarded me just now for cleaning the counter?” she snapped back. “You  _ knew _ he was coming, didn’t you?”

Nero curled his lip into a guilty smile and winked at her, turning to be the gracious host for their guest. “You wished to discuss something with me?”

“Actually, I wished to get your bride’s account of what happened in the Bowl of Embers,” Gaius replied. A crash in the kitchen behind them answered, followed by a string of muffled curses that had Nero trying his best not to laugh. 

“A touchy subject for her, as I am sure you are aware given your own wife’s reaction to the summoning,” he stated. He could hear her shuffling around, picking up the broken parts of whatever it was she had damaged and tossing them into the trash. “Carine? Would you care to join us?”

Again, a fresh wave of desire wafted from the kitchen, making his softening cock twitch back to life. He hadn’t even considered conditioning the woman to respond to him in such a way, but he wasn’t one to complain, especially not when he could admire the aftermath of his handiwork blushed across her skin on display for Gaius. 

A firm declaration that Carine was  _ his. _

The Elezen sat next to Nero, crossing her long, elegant legs and folding her hands around her knee. Amazingly, the woman was able to look up at Gaius without a hint of fear. Few Garleans could perform such a feat, Nero being one of them, yet here was this Eorzean who had every right to fear the man staring him down as though they were equals. 

He quite admired that.

“They tied me up, left me in a small cave guarded by Amalj’aa, and planned on offering me up to Ifrit.  What more do you wish to know?” she asked, her voice strong and steady.  _ Seven Hells, _ he cursed to himself as he grew hard once again at the brilliant display of bravery or stupidity she was putting on just now. 

“I want to know about the warrior. My wife mentioned there was one fighting the eikon without the aid of others. Nero voiced his concerns over them as well,” Gaius informed her, holding her gaze through the visor of his helm. “Since you spend so much time with the Scions, perhaps you can enlighten me where they are hiding such a person.”

Without missing a beat, Carine glared at the man, lilac eyes hardening as she leaned forward with a tilt of her head. “Tell me, Gaius. Do you trust me enough to let me into the Praetorium to visit my  _ wonderful _ husband while he is at work? I assume that giant shield around it means you have some big secret waiting inside, do you not?” she asked him. 

“Carine…” Nero warned. As much as he was attracted to her in this moment, she was treading into dangerous territory with a man she didn’t know, but the wench had the audacity to hold her hand up to silence him. 

“What makes you think the Scions would trust me with their secret weapon if you don’t trust me with yours? That  _ is _ what is being worked on there, isn’t it?”

Nero held his breath, waiting for Gaius to stand and execute the woman himself for her quick tongue and short temper. She was far too confident in speaking frankly with the Legatus, even if what she said made sense. 

“A clever woman you have here, Nero,” the Garlean said, amusement in his voice. “It seems that you were matched quite well.”

He smiled at that, beaming at his mentor as if he had been waiting for such a compliment while praising the Allagans that she hadn’t upset or angered him. He was growing far too attached to his little bird, and the last thing he wanted to do was to allow Gaius to destroy her for such grit. “Perhaps too well, yes?”

“Perhaps…” Gaius nodded. “Do you still have that device I gave to you?”

Nero scowled, furrowing his brow in confusion. “I do. Do you wish for me to retrieve it?” he asked. The Legatus nodded, waving him on to leave him be with Carine. He didn’t like it, not one bit. He wasn’t worried about the man trying to claim her for his own, he had Livia who was more than enough for him, but he was worried that she might say something to him for the brief time they would be alone. 

His worry was needless, however, as it appeared that neither of them had said a word to each other as he had grabbed the device in question. Ever the obedient Tribune he was, Nero handed it over to his commander without further question, watching curiously as the Legatus turned it on. Several moments ticked by as he fiddled with the device before finally turning it off and handing it back to him. 

“What is that?” Carine asked, leaning forward to get a better look at it.  _ Ever the inquisitive little wife, _ Nero smiled to himself as he handed it to her, much to everyone’s surprise. 

“It detects vast amounts of aether,” he explained, turning it on to show her what he meant. “Both in machines and beings made of the stuff. Like you. It shows you have a higher than normal range of aether within your being, but nothing off the charts or cause for concern,” he went on, pointing out her readings. 

“How very...invasive,” she said, chewing on her lower lip and giving it back to him. “Why do you need that?”

Gaius was the one to interrupt the little lesson, much to Nero’s dismay. It wasn’t often people found his hobbies interesting enough to ask about despite them producing results. “Eorzea is a blighted land riddled with false gods. Rotten to the core and yet must be saved,” he told her as he stood to his full height. “As defective as that device is, it is our best hope at ridding this land of these false gods once and for all.”

Nero followed his superior to the elevator, leaving Carine behind in the sitting room. To his great relief, the woman had chosen to stay behind, effectively ending the growing tension between her and Gaius. It was clear to him there would be little chance she would ever get along with the Legatus, not that it would be expected of her. She was a broodmare for all intents and purposes for the Empire and she knew it even if Nero wasn’t using her like one. 

“Have your men redouble their efforts in the mines,” Gaius instructed him as they waited for the elevator to appear. “Any crystals they find are to be left in Kobold territory. Rhitahtyn shall assist you while Livia takes care of the Ixal.”

“Understood,” Nero gave a curt nod.

“Make sure your wife knows. If the beastmen are feeling attacked on all sides, they will strive to empower their eikon tenfold to protect themselves. See it done,” he said, stepping into the elevator and dismissing himself from the premises. 

Nero turned around and walked back into the living area to see Carine staring at him with her arms crossed and her lips pursed together. “Want to explain what that was about?” she asked, raising her silver brows in accusation. 

He wasn’t sure why Gaius wanted to test her aether with that silly device. Surely he would know from living with the woman if she contained such vast amounts of aether to slay a primal. And this was Carine. His little bird might have quick wit and a sharp tongue and she may be either brave or stupid or equally both, but the woman was always visibly shaken when Primals were mentioned. He could admire her all day for the qualities she possessed that he liked, but the truth was, she wasn’t warrior material in his eyes. 

“Eliminating suspect, if I had to guess,” he shrugged, crossing the room and reaching for her arm. While he had fully intended on putting a show for Gaius to walk into, erasing all doubts from his commander’s mind that they were indeed sexually active, he had yet to be rewarded himself.

And Carine  _ had _ asked for a lesson after all. 

As he knew she would, the Elezen softened under his touch, allowing him to guide her to the couch where she sat back down like the diligent wife she was. “Where were we again?” Nero asked, leaning over her to claim her lips with his own. 

Carine surprised him by pulling him hard to the couch, using her impressive strength to roll him over so that she could straddle his hips, pinning him there between her powerful thighs as she kissed him in return. There wasn’t a woman alive that Nero thought he would allow to have such control over him, that is, until her. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had been with and was by far the least experienced, but she could kiss him with reckless abandon and he would allow her. 

Still, the grinding of her hips against his own was only providing him with so much pleasure, and the friction generated between them was quickly becoming uncomfortable as he grabbed onto her and gently pushed her off. 

_ Seven fucking Hells, _ he thought to himself as he watched her worry her kiss-swollen lips with a row of straight white teeth. Her purple eyes were nearly blown black with lust and her cheeks were that lovely shade of pink he came to adore. A tangled halo of silver hung around her pointed face, and he couldn’t help but think to himself that he had never wanted her more.

Carine wasted no time reaching for his breeches and giving them a sharp tug. Nero couldn’t help but feel like a lust ridden teenager again, eager for his first time with a woman rather than being the thirty year old man that he was as he lifted his hips to help her. And it didn’t matter a wit to him that she had probably never seen a proper cock before as her eyes widened at the sight of his, her reaction was more than enough to assure him he was more than adequate in that department. 

“Show me,” she commanded him, her eyes fixated on his length. 

_ As you wish, little bird, _ he smirked, grabbing her hand and wrapping it around his erection. He wet his lips with his tongue at the intimate contact, a shaky sigh shuttering from his chest as he guided her into stroking him. She watched with intense fascination, quickly getting the rhythm down to the point of taking control. He enjoyed the sight before him, Carine knelt there between his legs, her fingers wrapped around his cock and stroking him with her careful innocence all while looking up at him as if she were begging for his approval. 

He was being greedy, but he didn’t care. He longed for her to wrap that lovely set of lush lips around him, for her tongue to slick its way along his length, and when it seemed that she was curious enough to lean in and try it for herself, he waited with bated breath. Her pink tongue darted over her lips as her eyes looked at the small bead of fluid now forming at the head of his throbbing cock, occasionally glancing up at him through her lashes. 

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, _ he chanted with each stroke as he climbed higher and higher. So close, so fucking close…

And then the wench stopped cold, releasing his shaft and and standing to her full height, purple eyes glaring down at him in anger. “If you  _ ever _ use me to prove something to your boss without my consent again, I will cut it off,” she snapped, stepping past him as he scrambled to collect his breeches from his ankles.

“It’s rude to leave someone hanging!” he called out after her, seething as he pulled up his pants. 

“Use your own fucking hand,” she shouted back, closing the door to her room behind her. 

If it weren’t for the fact she had been a clever little bird, Nero might have hated her, but her cruel retaliation only served to make him want her more.


	12. Battling a Titan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Ah, but I am not the first to suffer thy defiance. ‘Twas thee that brought Ifrit low. But he was weak, overdweller and I am strong. I shall not succumb to the fate thy brought him!”_

“They have deployed troops to Kobold territory and to harass the Ixal,” Carine told the Scions the next day as she entered the solar. She had been listening in on Nero and Gaius when her  _ husband _ had shown the Legatus out of their apartment, so it had been no surprise when she had woken to find a note from him telling her what the man wanted her to know.

Minfilia tapped her chin. “I do have someone looking into the goings on in the Twelveswood with Yda this week...I’ll make sure that they are aware of what to be looking for,” she said with a curt nod. “And as far as the Kobolds - Y’shtola is the most familiar with their lands than anyone else.”

“Aye, but we need to know where they intend on summoning the Lord of the Crag before we attempt to stop them,” the Miqo’te said, laying out several scrolls on the desk. The small party looked over them, marking down all the shipments of crystals that had made it to their destination and those that did not. 

“This makes little sense,” Minfilia stated, her fingers glossing down the pages with a worried look. “According to these statements, the Kobolds have less crystals than the Amalj’aa when they summoned Ifrit. Why would they try to summon a weaker god?”

“Because the Garleans are leaving crystals in their territory that are undocumented,” Carine pointed out. “They  _ want _ them to summon the gods, but to what end? I do not know.”

That had been the most troubling part for her. Nero had preached that the Garleans had wished to bring an end to the Primals as much as the Scions did. Hells, one of their commanding officers had been so dedicated to the task that they had risked all of Eorzea to bring down the moon, yet Gaius had made sure she  _ knew _ which beastmen they were agitating. What gain did they harvest from a Primal coming into physical form?

“‘Tis troubling indeed,” Y’shtola said. “Mayhap we speak to the company that defeated the Lord of the Crag before?”

Carine turned to her, brow knit with bewilderment. “He was summoned before and defeated?” she asked.

The mage nodded, smiling gently as she pulled another scroll from the pouch at her side and handed it to the Elezen. “The Company of Heroes has since been disbanded, but I have been hard at work to track them down and bring them together for a reunion. Besides, I believe our Warrior is in need of food and wine and good company.”

She could say that again. Carine didn’t mind the company of the Scions, but she still felt like an outsider. They only spoke to her when she was training with them or giving her orders, which was understandable because she was by all technicality, sleeping with the enemy. To hear one of them acknowledge her in such a way made her feel as though she were finally becoming one of them. 

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“It is decided then. Carine, Y’shtola, the two of you will travel to Costa del Sol to meet with this Company of Heroes.”

Carine wanted to ask where the other Scions would be during their investigation, but thought better of it. As much as she wanted to believe that they would trust her with such information, she knew it wasn’t so. Besides, it was safer for her to know less in case Nero asked about their plans. She could only keep so many stories straight at one time before she would eventually falter or forget, and her husband was far too quick to pick up on things.

With the plan in motion, Carine and Y’shtola made their way to Costa del Sol by riding in Cid’s airship called  _ The Enterprise. _ She found that she quite liked the captain and his positive outlook on the world, however any time she brought up Nero, he seemed less than interested in talking about him. 

From what she could gather, the two of them had been close friends in the past. Cid had no trouble denying that there was a point in his life where he would have done anything for the man she was forced into marrying, but he always seemed so down when she asked about what he had been like when they were younger. 

“He wasn’t a better man back then, if that’s what you’re wondering, Lass,” he told her as they flew above the clouds to avoid detection from the Garleans that were below. 

“Of that I have no doubt,” she chuckled. “But surely he wasn’t  _ so _ terrible if the two of you were friends, right?”

Cid let out a long sigh, casting his gaze in her direction. “There was a time I was not so different than he,” the Garlean said. “We both studied under Gaius, both trained under him. We both looked at him as the father figure we lacked. Our rivalry was our own doing to better the other, much like brothers did I assume.”

“So what happened?” she asked. 

“I was the son of the Grand Minister of Industry within Garlemald, considered a prodigy. Nero didn’t care about that when we first met, he only wished to prove one didn’t have to come from wealth or fortune or good blood to be the best. His constant need to prove himself better than me pushed me to improving myself and in the end I was named a Minister of Industry while he was not. 

Nero was furious. He felt slighted by the system and wouldn’t accept that I had earned my place with his help. And then I bore witness to what my inventions could do, the destruction they caused. I walked away, vowing to use my skills with magitek to better the lives of others. Nero saw this as an opportunity to take my place,” Cid explained. “The man could be a good one if he weren’t so blinded by his own ambition, Lass. You would do well to remember that.”

There was little time to say much else as Cid landed the  _ Enterprise _ near the small vacation spot of Costa del Sol. He would remain nearby to keep the scrambler on Carine’s ring just in case Nero was looking in and wondering what she was doing in such a place on an off day. As far as he would know, she was sitting in her mother’s cottage cursing over pricking her finger with a sewing needle for the fifth time this afternoon. 

Carine followed Y’shtola to one of the canopies stilted over the crystal clear water lapping at the soft white sand. As the Miqo’te had claimed, the Company of Heroes stood gathered around an impressive banquet that was fit for the gods. She greeted each of them and introduced the Elezen as the Warrior of Light, masking her identity with the helm she had donned when fighting Ifrit. 

It had been Carine’s idea to use a separate identity when meeting others for the Scions. With how closely the Garleans tracked her, and how many Eorzeans doubted her loyalty, it was agreed that it would be safer to hide who she truly was until they could no longer. As far as anyone was concerned, she was nothing more than a grunt for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a small pawn on the board that the Garleans thought they had control of. With the helm, she was a legend, a slayer of Primals. A potential savior. 

Of course, the Scions thought they controlled her as well. Oh she helped them and dedicated her gift for their use, but that didn’t mean she would allow them to use her past the purpose of keeping Eorzea safe from the wrath of the Primals that plagued the land. If they proved ineffective against the eikons and the Empire displayed their worth in disabling them, Carine would have no trouble switching sides. Being alive with the option of rebellion against the Empire was preferable to living life enthralled to a being whose sole purpose was to destroy the world. 

Wheiskaet, the captain of the Company, was a jolly man with many daring stories to tell along with his fellows. He welcomed them with open arms, asking for the details of her bold fight against the Lord of the Inferno. Carine was more than willing to divulge in what he wished to know, recounting the feel of the heat against her skin and the fire burning behind his hollow eyes. All of them clung to the edges of their seats until she concluded with his defeat.

She also did not hold back her disappointment in herself or the Scions in what happened to the thralls created during Ifrit’s summoning; her emotions bringing tears to her eyes as she thought of Marni and all the promises she had made to that little girl she would never fulfill. The members of the Company echoed this pain, their eyes casting down to their hands in their laps. They had seen it too. They knew the price and they wanted to prevent it from happening again. 

Eventually the foul mood was chased away by dancing girls and wine as the men drank and toasted to the Warrior of Light, whom they were now calling Titan’s Bane. Carine and Y’shtola celebrated with them, listening to their stories and partaking in the festivities for as long as they dared. Soon they would have to leave so Carine could return to Nero’s apartment until the next day. Wheiskaet told them to meet one of his men, Riol, in Upper La Noscea the next morning as early as possible for he did not know how long the man planned on staying nearby. 

Carine thanked him and his men, grateful for an evening that had distracted her from her worries. The Company of Heroes had eased her apprehension on fighting the next Primal on its way to being summoned, though she still feared the devastation it would bring.

Hopefully this time they would be able to stop the beastmen before it was too late.

 

***

 

The next morning, Carine and Y’shtola were out on the cliffs in Upper La Noscea, whistling the pattern that Wheiskaet had taught them to summon his old comrade. They followed the path he had marked on their map, avoiding the aggressive wildlife that swarmed the area as they made their way to the location to where Riol was to await them.

“Greetin’s lassies,” a man said as he waved out a hand once they reached the summit of a small cliff that overlooked the area. “Might you gals be the ones the cap’n said would come callin’?”

Riol was a Hyur, just a bit taller than Y’shtola with a rugged accent. A black tattoo marked the right side of his face, just beside one eye while the other had a long jagged scar that disappeared behind a patch. His blond hair was swept back with a few strands that fell over his brow, reminding Carine of Nero. 

“Aye, we are. You must be Riol,” Y’shtola replied with a warming smile. “He said that you could help us find the location of where the Kobolds would be summoning Titan.”

“Aye, I be the one,” he nodded. “Pay attention now, ‘cause I ain’t explainin’ myself twice. Years ago when we was weighin’ up on how to get to Titan, one of our scouts stumbled upon an aetheryte claimed by the beastmen…”

Riol went on to explain that the aetheryte had taken them straight to where the Lord of Crags awaited them, all the while Y’shtola pondered silently. Carine listened to every detail the man gave her, committing them to memory in case they came in handy later on in her fight against the being...if they were unable to stop the summoning from happening. 

“I have been in the mines beneath O’Ghomoro. They form a labyrinth that I can assume no outsider has fully explored. ‘Tis a wonder your Company of Heroes was able to navigate them at all,” Y’shtola stated. 

Riol threw his head back with a hearty laugh. “Ha! Give us a bit o’ credit, love! We ain’t so daft to be chargin’ in through the front! We knew the kobolds always be digging new tunnels and settin’ the old ones with traps. One wrong step and you’d be buried under a bleedin’ mountain. That be right suicide, lass.”

“Then how  _ did _ you get in, if you didn’t go through the mines?” Carine asked. 

“How many homes have you gone into that didn’t have a back door, love? How many cities have one entrance only? Aye, we found another way in. There always be another way in,” he replied with a charming smile. “The U’Ghamaro mines are like a bleedin’ city to the Kobolds, and they have no trouble findin’ their way ‘round ‘em. We figure they ‘ave themselves an aetheryte somewhere down there to get around the way they do.”

“Wouldn’t you have to attune to the shards within the mines in order to use them?” she inquired. “I mean, they recognize our signatures, right?”

“I can take you to the aetheryte our scout found o’er in Zelma’s Run, if you’ve a mind? Mayhap takin’ a look yourself will help?” Riol suggested, giving a wave of his arm for them to follow. 

Y’shtola was quiet as they traveled along, most likely trying to figure out the puzzle that had presented itself to them this morning. Carine stuck close to their guide so as not to get lost through the thick foliage currently engulfed in the dense fog of morning, keeping a careful ear out for any danger that might be lurking nearby.

The Hyur seemed sure of his path, trekking on ahead and using his sword to cut through the vines and leaves and branches that hung in their way. He explained that there were likely to be Kobolds nearby they might have to dispense of before they could reach their destination, but not to worry because they were nothing that the Warrior of Light couldn’t handle. The problem was, Carine hadn’t fought off a group with a hive mentality like them. Amalj’aa were tribal, as were the Ixal she had been used to driving off in the Twelveswood, but the Kobolds? There were a lot more of them gathered underground than there were of the others as far as she knew. 

The small party met little resistance as they made their way up the pass. It seemed her worry about the amount of Kobolds they would have to deal with was unfounded as their foes were mainly scouts with no real way to summon the hive. Carine was able to pick them off one by one with her arrows before they could raise the signal, and soon her efforts were rewarded by the sight of the crystal Riol had described to them.

“There it be, lassies,” he announced. 

“I still cannot fathom how your company was able to utilize this to gain entrance to the Titan’s sanctuary…” the Miqo’te said, walking around the crystal and examining it from all angles. “I can sense it  _ is _ connected to a system, however our signatures are not recognized therefore we could not control the outcome of where we might land.”

Riol shrugged, “I don’t know how he did it, but he said that any Sharlayan scholar worth her salt could manage to figure it out.”

“Did he now?” Y’shtola ‘hmphed as she gave it another, deeper thought. “I suppose it  _ is _ possible as this crystal is connected to others as long as someone could be used to guide the one through the system until they found the right exit...of course I won’t know if it would work until we gave it a try. It would all depend on whether or not I was ‘worth my salt’.”

Riol gave another hearty laugh and assured her that she certainly was while Carine had a bad feeling about it all. “What are you saying, Shtola?”

“I’m saying that Riol and I will need to stay here. I will use my own energies to strengthen this crystal while he imagines the sanctuary Titan should be in,” the mage explained. “Which means you will have to go this alone until I am able to stabilize the power within this one to join you.”

_ Great, I get to face another one of these damned things without help. Lovely, _ Carine pouted inwardly. There was the blessed reassurance that she was immune to becoming a thrall and the helpful tips Riol had provided on their way here that had her prepare to some degree, but that didn’t quell the anxiety rising within her. 

“Worry not, Warrior,” Y’shtola said, lightly touching her arm. “I may be belatated in joining you, but I shall endeavor to stabilize the aetheryte as quickly as possible to provide any backup you might need. I will send word to the Maelstrom forces to provide distraction while you sneak in. Hopefully by the time I join you, Titan will be distracted enough that I will not worry of becoming a thrall myself.”

Carine had no choice but to nod in agreement. There wasn’t enough time to argue or come up with a better plan. All she could do was hope that the Maelstrom forces would find all the crystals the Kobolds had stashed away in their endless tunnels before they summoned the beast. 

It wasn’t likely, but there was no harm in praying to whoever would listen.

Y’shtola instructed her on what she was to do while powering up the crystal. Riol stood vigilant for any reinforcements sent their way to protect them until their troops arrived. When Carine was ready, she put her hand to the crystal and felt her body being pulled into the Lifestream, guided by Riol’s memory and Y’shtola’s power. 

The Elezen was deposited on a large platform in the center of a rounded room. Dim lanterns glowed along the walls and the floor, though most of the light came from molten lava beneath her. It was stifling and hot, the waves of heat distorting the air as she gathered her bearings and made sure that she had arrived in one piece. 

_ Blades, check. Bow, check. Sanity...that’s to be determined, _ she thought to herself as she looked at her surroundings. So far, everything seemed to be working well enough. There was no sign of the Primal and she couldn’t tell if there were any Kobolds aware of her presence at the moment. What she did find, however, crushed all hope against fighting the eikon. Boxes and crates filled to the brim with pulsing aether crystals lined the room along one wall and judging from the sheer number of them, it appeared that everything they had gathered, they had stored wherever she was.

A gasp echoed in the chamber, turning Carine around to see a small Kobold looking down at her from an overpass. It jumped up and down, shrieking about an overdweller and bringing more and more of its kind to look upon her. 

“Overdweller has defiled Titan’s sacred sanctuary! Trespasser! Violator! Defiler!” another squawked from the other side of the chamber. 

_ Well...shit. So much for the element of surprise, _ Carine cursed, wishing she had just gone for the damned crystals from the beginning. Now she was surrounded by the tiny beasts, far too many for her to fight off single-handedly even with her gift. She wondered how long it would take for the entire hive to realize their plan and cursed herself again at not being more careful.  _ Stood like a fool when I should have found a shadow to hide in, _ she reprimanded herself, thinking back on the lessons Thancred had gone over with her. Oh how proud he would be to see her right now…

Not.

As Carine turned around, looking for a way out of the mess she was in, another Kobold approached. This one seemed more important than the others, and much braver to be so close to her with her bow drawn. 

“Fear her not, brothers and sisters! Her fate shall be decided by the Lord of Crags!” it cried, holding out its scrawny arms to calm the agitated and overly excited beastmen. “Hear me, overdweller. You and your brethren  _ must _ be held in account for breaking the covenant.”

“Wait, what? We didn’t-” Carine tried to reason, wondering what exactly this little beast was talking about.

“Silence! You shall be the first to receive your judgement. Then all the liars and betrayers and oathbreakers of Limsa Lominsa shall follow you,” the Kobold interrupted. It then began waving its twig-like arms in the air, raising its squeaky voice in a chant with its fellow beastmen. “O Great Father, Lord of Crags! We summon thee, we summon thee!”

As before, the crystals in their crates began to glow and hum as the chanted crescendoed within the chamber, its echo bouncing off the walls and somehow amplifying their prayer. They rose into the air and swirled about, their light nearly blinding Carine as she shielded her eyes from them. Something in the air changed, almost as if she could feel the crushing weight of the world above coming down on her, bringing her to her knees as she resisted the Titan’s call. She wanted to remove her bloody helmet from her head to relieve the pressure, but could not move as the aether from the crystals formed into a solid being. 

Titan was just as large and formidable as Ifrit, but rather than facing the blazing heat of the first Primal, Carine was feeling crushed from the pressure that exuded from him. His stony skin seemed impenetrable by her weapons as he stomped his large feet into the earth below.

_ “Art thou deaf to their weeping?” _ his thick, gravely voice boomed, shaking loose stones and rocks from the walls surrounding them.  _ “Thy vile kind murdereth my children by the score - all for greed and yet you stand here immune to their plight. Such sins are beyond pardon.” _

She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t her kind killing the Kobolds, that it was the Garlean Empire that sought their precious resources, but something told her that would have been a waste of breath. How could she prove to the beast that they were any different when most of the Empire consisted of people that looked similar to the Eorzeans?

There was only one thing she could do, and so she closed her eyes and prayed to Nophica and the rest of the Twelve as well as Hydaelyn for the strength and endurance to send this Primal back where he belonged. As she centered herself, her eyes shot open as she aimed her arrow at the beast before her, focusing on the few weak spots she could see through the cracks in the boulders that made up his body. 

Titan rumbled a laugh, a haunting sound that held no fear of her.  _ “Ah, but I am not the first to suffer thy defiance. ‘Twas thee that brought Ifrit low. But he was weak, overdweller and I am strong. I shall not succumb to the fate thy brought him!”  _

With a mighty bellow that deafened her, Titan lept into the air and came crashing down with his fist. Carine barely had time to dodge the stalactites that fell with the blow, though she tripped as the ground beneath her rippled and cracked from the weight of him. She had but a narrow window to take a shot, the light of her arrow shining through the air as it landed between two rocks in his armor, bursting at the contact and sending him backwards. He roared in anger, beating the ground and stomping to unsettle her as she nimbly traipsed about the battlefield. 

It was quite the workout, dodging falling rocks and leaping into the air at the right time to avoid the quaking earth below from his tantrums all while taking time to aim and fire to weaken the Primal. Her slow progress paid off, for soon the rocks that encased his might began to fall from her blows, opening up a small hole on his chest to reveal a beating heart. 

She had found the weak spot Riol had told her to be on the lookout for. 

Carine cried out as she let loose another three arrows to widen her target, giving her a better chance at striking the heart. At the same time, Titan became aware of her intentions and lept into the air again. In order to try and dodge the crushing weight of his force, she darted to the edge of the platform. When he landed, it was all the Elezen could do to run back towards the center to avoid falling off the weakened edge that was crumbling beneath her, making the battlefield smaller.

The Primal repeated this several times, mocking her until all that was left was a small circle big enough for her and him to fight it out. Fear began to grip her heart as she rolled out of the way of his attacks, sometimes straight into a rock that cut her cheek or scraped her arms. Her clothing was ripped beyond repair and she was growing tired. Meanwhile, Titan seemed to be gathering strength from the worshipping thralls that surrounded him. 

It all seemed so hopeless. Ifrit had been strong enough as it was, at least in her eyes, but Titan was easily twice or thrice as strong as he. She was but one person surrounded by enemies that were more than happy to power up their god to defeat her. 

And it was getting a bit close for comfort. 

Just when Carine was sure that she was out of energy to continue on, waves of mana flowed over her like water in a stream. Her strength returned to her, wounds healed, and she felt rejuvenated even after the spell was over. She looked around and nearly burst into tears of relief as she watched Y’shtola cast a protection spell over her from a rocky cliff above. 

_ She came! She actually came and healed me! Oh blessed Nophica, she came! _

With her hope renewed, Carine narrowed her eyes and dropped her bow to the ground. There wasn’t enough room for it to be effective anymore and with a mage as skilled as Shtola nearby, she had little left to fear. She grabbed the blades at her side, gifts from Thancred, and rushed towards Titan with speed she hadn’t been sure she possessed. The Elezen launched herself into the air, daggers blazing with white light at the ready and released a mighty yell as she sank them into the exposed heart of the Primal. 

The warrior struck him again and again, screaming in her frustration as he stumbled backwards. She was too quick, too agile for him to grip her and soon he fell to his knees. Carine jumped from his body, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the bulk of rubble that comprised him, and rolled towards her bow that had somehow remained undamaged. 

She was dimly aware of the Maelstrom forces fighting the enthralled Kobolds within the sanctuary, finally finding her at the last minute.  _ Figures, _ she chuckled to herself, sitting on the ground to rest and let them do the work. 

Carine had done more than enough for the day.

 

***

 

“Now  _ these _ are the readings I expected from an eikon!” Nero praised as he looked down at the device. “It seems that I have seen enough. We shall proceed as planned.”

He stood from his vantage point, giving one last look to the warrior below. It had been a beautiful display of dominance between them and the Primal, one that was sure to be burned within his mind for the foreseeable future. A shame that it had nearly defeated them, but what was one mortal against a Primal such as that?

“Are you sure that is wise, my lord” Rhitahtyn asked. “You have not tested your...curiosity and so your theory has not been proven. We do not yet know what Ultima is capable of.”

Nero turned to his Roegadyn companion, studying him with callous eyes. “Do not tell me you fret the results, my large friend,” he glared. “Gaius has complete trust in my curiosity, as you so eloquently put it. Why, I would bet Ultima would have bested Titan in the blink of an eye compared to the half hour it took that warrior to.”

“Perhaps, but-”

“Tsk, Rhitahtyn, I thought better of you than this. I am only doing as our leader has commanded. I have reason to believe that our lovely weapon has the capability to subjugate the whole of Eorzea with just a bit more power, do I not? And it is my  _ job _ to assure Gaius that his vision will not fail,” the Garlean explained. “If this warrior of the Scions can hardly stand up to Titan, how could they face the might of Ultima?”

The Roegadyn shook his head. “While such devices might win battles in our favor, I do not see it helping our lot in this war.”

“Ah, but they will, my friend. Have a little faith,” he replied with a smile, following behind the reluctant Tribune. “With Garuda to be summoned sometime in the near future, all doubt will be erased from your mind, I assure you.”

And he meant it. While Nero himself had no desire for conquest himself, he  _ did _ desire power. Gaius van Baelsar wanted Eorzea; to act as the viceroy for the blighted land and if he succeeded, Nero would be his right hand of power. Just the thought of what their historians would record the day he was able to complete the Ultima Weapon and give her to be used by his mentor was enough to flutter his heart within his chest. There was no one else in the world that could do what he was doing, not with the same level of skill and finesse as he could anyway. Cid was the only one remotely close to rivaling his ability, and the fool was too caught up in helping people than making history. 

_ I’ll show him, _ he promised himself.  _ I will show them all. _


	13. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I do not make love, Carine. I **fuck** ,” he growled into her ear, his voice darkening with the lust that pulsed through his being. “So long as you understand the difference and accept those terms, I will **fuck** you tonight until you are screaming my name in ecstasy and then I will **fuck** you some more.”_

The sun was shining down on the dusty world of Thanalan as Carine clucked for Buck to move along. It wasn’t too hot, making her trip from Ul’dah to Vesper Bay bearable for once, and the road was relatively clear of wildlife. Since she had no messages from the Scions, Carine chose to take her time getting to the Waking Sands to enjoy the gentle breeze and warm sunlight that kissed her skin. 

Days like today were rare. It wasn’t often that she didn’t have to rush from one end of Eorzea to the other, meeting whatever demands that had been given to her from either Nero or the Scions. It made her feel giddy and restless and before she knew it, she was slipping off her boots and dipping her toes in the spring that lay just outside of the port city. The cool water tickled her feet and rejuvenated her while Buck drank from the water and preened his feathers. A relief to feel unencumbered by the weight of her responsibility as the Warrior of Light; a moment to just...be.

With the weight lifted from her shoulders and a spring in her step, the Elezen put her boots back on and finished her journey to Vesper Bay.

But the sight that welcomed her was not what she had anticipated. 

A crowd was gathered around the tavern that served as the secret entrance to the Waking Sands. Men, women, and children all huddled closely together, trying to get closer to the building. Their hushed whispers and pointed stairs prompted Carine into pushing and shoving her way past them, hoping to get a better look.

The doors to the tavern were blasted off their hinges, the broken bits littering the cobbled sidewalk and the floor within. Tables and chairs were tossed carelessly throughout the establishment, some of them broken, some riddled with holes from gunlances. The fireplace, usually burning warm and welcoming to a weary adventurer, was nothing more than smouldering ashes. 

And there wasn’t a sign of cheerful little Tataru anywhere to be found. 

Carine hurried to the back, panic creeping through her veins as she realized the wards that kept the Scion’s sanctuary hidden were down and the hidden door ajar. She hurried down the stairs into the Waking Sands and stopped short the moment she hit the bottom. 

_ No! This cannot be! _ She exclaimed inwardly as her eyes found several bodies lying far too still on the cold, hard ground. Carine rushed to the nearest one and checked for any sign of life only to feel the coldness of death under her fingers. Tears streamed down her face as she checked each person, the very people that crafted and gathered for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Innocent victims that had most likely never raised a blade to do another harm, slaughtered in their own sanctuary. 

Slowly she made her way to the solar, fearing the worst. If Minfilia and the other Scions were dead...what hope did Eorzea have? Sure, they still had Carine, but she was the brawn of the organization, their weapon forged to fighting and defeating the Primals. She didn’t know any of the connections that the antecedent had, nor did she know where to start looking. 

A strange sort of relief fell over her as she entered the solar. There were no bodies here that she could see, and she hadn’t found any sign of the Scions themselves. That meant that there was hope that they were still alive, at least for now. She glanced around the room, looking for any clues that might alert her to their whereabouts. Instead she found a small Sylph lying near a broken pot, the dirt covering her from view. 

Carine rushed to her, once she saw her move, and cradled her in her arms as she thought about how to call upon the healing magic that Y’shtola had attempted to teach her. “Hold on, I’m here,” she said, her voice and hands shaking as she tried to clear her mind and pull from nature. There was so much death, so much destruction, and no matter how hard she prayed, the magic just wouldn’t come to her. 

_ Blast it! If Violaine were here she would have had her healed by now! _ She cursed herself. 

“T-this one is glad walking one is safe...is returned…” the Sylph squeaked, her voice weakened from the trauma she endured. 

“Who did this? Where is Minfilia?” Carine asked, still trying to tap into the unruly magic that fought against her. 

“This one tried to save the walking one, Minfilia, from the Imperial ones. This one wasn’t strong enough...forgive this one…” she whispered, her voice faltering as the strength left her body. Carine tried to reach out to her, grasping on the only thing within her mind that felt as though it could be magic only for the world around her to blur. Her vision danced and head swam as everything shifted around her, turning sepia before her eyes. 

Before she knew it, Carine was standing upright in the solar, looking at Minfilia who seemed to be talking to someone through the linkpearl. Next to her was the Sylph that she could have sworn was the same one currently dying in her arms, but here she looked well and whole. The Elezen looked down at her hands only to find that she was without a body in this place, a ghost or  _ something… _ she didn’t know.

_ What in Nophica’s name is this? _ She asked herself, turning her eyes back to the scene before her. It seemed that Minfilia was done talking to whoever she had been speaking with, her hand falling from her face as relief washed over her features.

“Thank the heavens she is safe,” the woman said, smiling to herself as she looked up to the ceiling. 

The respite was short lived as a gunshot was heard from outside the solar. Carine felt herself transported there, pulled along by  _ something _ she couldn’t name. The scene was gruesome as the few guards that waited outside the solar attacked a group of Imperial forces lead by a woman clad in white armor. Whatever weapons she had attached to her arms doubled as guns, for all she had to do was take aim and fire at anyone that offered up resistance. She recognized several faces of people that she knew were now dead as they cowered and held their arms up in surrender. They had no weapons, no means of defense against the soldiers storming their walls; they were only doing their best to survive.

“We have come for the one that has slain Ifrit and Titan,” the Garlean general proclaimed, her voice loud and commanding. “Bring them forward and you might know mercy.”

_ Me, they’re looking for me… _ her heart seized within her chest as she watched helplessly. The Scion guard at the Garlean’s feet tried to pull himself away, reaching out to Carine though she knew he could not see her, but it was not enough. The woman in white armor shot him in the back of the head, her words of mercy a blatant lie on her lips.

Minfilia stepped out of the solar, her arms raised over her head with a determined look in her eyes. “I’ll surrender on the condition that you spare the innocents,” she demanded. She looked so defiant, courageous even as she face down the general with hardened eyes and pressed lips. 

“Ah, if it isn’t the little priestess of the Scions,” the Garlean sneered as she approached the woman. “ _ Conditions. _ Ha! Who are you to make demands of the Empire when you have been exempting yourself from our Draft?”

“I implore you, the one you seek is not here and you will not find them,” Minfilia ignored the woman’s taunts, bringing her attention back on the situation at hand. 

The Garlean tilted her head to the side and walked slowly towards the Highlander until they were standing face to face. “Such mettle would be better suited in armor, wouldn’t you say?” she asked, pointing her gun at Minfilia’s head. “So, if this  _ Warrior of Light _ is not here, then where are they? Hm?”

“Tell me how you discovered our location and I will tell you their whereabouts,” the Hyur countered. 

“‘Tsk ‘tsk, I wouldn’t want to give out all our trade secrets,” she wagged a finger. “But I have a good feeling you already know there is a  _ traitor _ in your midst.”

_ But I didn’t tell them...oh no. No! Please for the love of the Twelve, Minfilia, don’t think I was the leak! _ Carine cried out knowing full well her voice couldn’t be heard by those in the room. It was a memory; a glimpse of the actions here, she knew that now. 

Minfilia seemed unbothered by the accusation thrown at her as she placed her arms behind her back to be bound. The Sylph, who had been hiding behind the desk the entire time till this point, flew up and tried to stop the Imperials from taking her. One swift kick from the general sent the poor thing crashing into the wall and then the floor. 

“Conditions of surrender...denied,” the general stated, giving the signal to her troops to begin the slaughter. Carine could do nothing but watch as people she had come to know and care for were brutally murdered by the soldiers. Their cries and demands for mercy echoed through the halls, their screams rang in her ears and her mind as she tried to will herself to move to save them. It was hopeless and her sobs racked through her body as one by one, the people that helped the Scions were cut down.

Minfilia struggled against the ropes that bound her, screaming for them to stop while Urianger and Papalymo attempted to stop the madness only to be captured themselves. Tataru whimpered in a corner on trembling knees, voluntarily going with them as a prisoner when she was found. All the while unarmed innocents were struck down, some of their bodies desecrated beyond recognition as the Imperials struck them again and again. Blood stained the stoney floors, pools of it collecting at the Garlean’s feet, but she seemed not the least bit bothered by her cruelty.

_ She will fucking pay for this, _ Carine swore as she watched them turn to leave.  _ I will not rest until I see that she does. _

“We did not come for the one my husband seeks, but this priestess should satisfy him for now,” the general said, more to herself than to anyone else. “And rumor has it that she has the Echo.” With this she turned to Minfilia who was staring down at the macabre scene before her with such despair that Carine could  _ feel _ it echoing her own. 

“I shall enjoy making you scream,” she finished. With a wave of her arm, she ordered her men to follow with their prisoners in tow, leaving Carine behind in the carnage. She wanted to follow them, to know where they were taking the Scions, but the vision began to blur and fade and she found herself back in the present, cradling the now still body of the Sylph. 

She spent the rest of the afternoon gathering the bodies of those that had fallen to the Imperials, laying them out and covering them with sheets. A few people from the street wandered in and offered their help, which she gladly accepted. By the end of the day, the bodies were prepared to be sent to Eastern Thanalan for burial and Carine herself was a bloody mess. She didn’t care. She didn’t feel. Once she had cried her tears, she went numb. This is what the Empire was capable of, what her  _ husband _ was capable of. 

Her fists clenched at her sides. They had found the Scions because of  _ her. _ She had lead them straight to them because she foolishly believed that Cid was capable of outwitting Nero in the art of magitek. Carine knew better and yet she had allowed this to happen to her friends. 

_ They died because of me… _ The thought hurt. How many lives was it going to take to stop this needless killing? The Imperials had gotten something better than the Warrior of Light, they had the heart and soul of the Scions. Why would they kill the innocents when they had the person they were all willing to fight and die for?

Cid was the first to arrive at her call on the linkpearl. Biggs and Wedge were with him, as always, and all three were stricken the moment they walked through the doors of the Waking Sands. 

“What happened here?” Cid demanded, his face paling at the sight before them. Biggs stared silently as Wedge buried his face in his Roegadyn friend’s leg, whimpering something about Tataru. 

“The Garleans found them,” she replied with clenched jaw. “I thought you said you could keep the location hidden as long as I wore this damned ring here?” She couldn’t stop herself from screaming at the man, a new wave of tears springing to her eyes. 

Cid allowed her the moment of weakness, letting it run its course until she was down on her knees and looking at the ground in defeat. “Lass,” he said, splaying one large hand across her back. “They couldn’t have used you. If they had, they would have gone looking for you in La Noscea, not here. They found us some other way.”

“B-but how?” Carine sniffled, wiping the stupid tears from her eyes. 

He shook his head as he helped her to her feet. “I do not know. Come on, Lass. Let’s get you cleaned up before you have to go back.”

She didn’t want to. The last place she wanted to go was to Nero’s apartment knowing that he was most likely behind all of this, no matter what Cid said. There was no other explanation for how they were discovered besides the stupid ring on her hand. If it weren’t for the fact he would come looking for her if the tracker said she was in the bottom of the ocean, she would have thrown it as far as she could off the docks. 

Carine did as she was told, changing into a fresh set of clothes and washing away the blood and dirt that stained her skin. When she returned to Cid and the others, she found Y’shtola and Yda had joined them. The Miqo’te looked devastated, understandably so as it was her job to protect and heal. Yda, on the other hand, was dancing on her feet and ready for a fight. 

And then there was someone else, someone Carine was sure she hadn’t met before. He was young, a teenager if she had to guess, and an Elezen like her with long white hair pulled back into a braid. He wore blue and white clothing with a grimoire tucked at his side. At her approach, everyone looked up at her with sorrow in their eyes. 

Not accusation.

“Carine...are you alright?” Y’shtola asked, reaching out in comfort. She leaned into her touch, shaking her head. There was nothing alright about any of this.

“No, but give me time to make this right and I will be,” she replied. “Who is this?”

The young Elezen perked up as she acknowledged him, giving a small bow. “I am Alphinaud Leveilleur, a friend of Minfilia’s,” he introduced himself. “A shame that we had to meet under such grave tidings.”

Carine nodded and introduced herself as well, though it was clear that Alphinaud was already well aware of who she was. 

“Well, it seems not all is lost,” Y’shtola stated as she looked them over. “We are still here and we have the Warrior of Light. Wherever our friends have been taken, we will find them.”

“Indeed, but we have a  _ slight _ problem,” Alphinaud said. “While Yda and I were traversing through the Twelveswood, monitoring the actions of the Ixali there, we made a shocking discovery…”

“The Ixal are gone,” Yda interrupted. “Well, most of them anyway.”

“Gone?” Carine asked, looking between them in shock. “What do you mean?”

This time it was Y’shtola who spoke up, “Many Kobolds were rounded up by Nero’s men after we left yesterday. I do not know what for, but they must have some plan for them.”

“What of the Amalj’aa?” 

“Same thing, Lass. It wasn’t long after I flew Thancred out there yesterday that he mentioned something about there being far fewer of the lizardmen than there had been even after Ifrit’s defeat,” Cid answered.

“Speaking of, where is our dashing rogue?” Yda asked, looking around almost as if he would appear out of nowhere. She even called for him on the linkpearl, but there was no answer. “Strange...he always answers. Maybe if I tempt him with accepting that offer for drinks…”

Y’shtola shook her head. “I’m sure he is fine. If he wasn’t here, then he is safe from the grasp of the Imperials for now. Which beggars the question, what to do?” The Miqo’te pondered, her cat-like ears flicking about as she thought. “Cid? Would you have an idea?”

“The woman in the white armor…I don’t know who she is, Nero hasn’t introduced me to all of his comrades, but she mentioned something about the Echo and making Minfilia scream...I don’t know if that helps,” Carine added, hoping it would be enough to jog the Garlean’s memory.

He thought for several minutes, pacing back and forth while fingering his well-kept beard until finally his eyes lit up. Cid turned to Carine with a wide smile as if she held the answer to the questions looming over them. “Castrum Meridianum! Of course! They have several holding cells and containment bays south of the residential areas, and it is the castrum that has direct access to the Praetorium,” he replied. “Lass, you could be the key to getting the Scions out of there.”

“How? I have no access to any of those areas and I have spent so much time outside of that bloody place rather than exploring it fully,” she shook her head. “Besides, how can I free them and get them out without getting us all killed?”

“You aren’t friends with the best magitek engineer for nothing,” he winked. “If I can make this linkpearl of yours undetectable when going through their security systems, then you can bring it in and update us on your progress.”

Alphinaud considered this, smiling sweetly as he nodded. “It isn’t perfect, but the sooner we can release them, the sooner we can arrange for a counter attack on the Garlean forces. Cid, work on the linkpearl. Yda, you are familiar with Kan-E-Sama yes? Go to her and see what troops she may be able to lend to our aid. Y’shtola, you can go to Merlwyb in Limsa Lominsa to request her aid and I shall go to Raubahn in Ul’dah.”

_ And I shall go straight into the adder’s nest and pray that I won’t be bitten, _ Carine thought to herself as they were given their orders. The truth of the matter was, this was the  _ only  _ plan they could come up with. No doubt the moment the Scions were released it would be a declaration of war between Eorzea and the Garlean threat, but would they have enough people and support to win? Somehow Carine was doubtful. 

“Now listen here, Lass. Keep this on your person. Tuck it away where they won’t feel it and then make sure it’s well hidden in the apartment in case Nero goes looking,” Cid told her as he fiddled with the device. “Don’t go calling for us unless we are needed right away. I’ll be stationed in Mor Dhona and ready for a quick getaway.”

She nodded, listening to his words and committing them to memory. Once he was finished with the linkpearl, she tucked it into her shirt between her breasts and signaled she was ready to go. 

Carine didn’t bother to look back at the bodies the other Scions were piling onto a cart to bury as she made haste for Ul’dah. Already her heart was hardened with anger and rage as she looked forward, daring anyone to stand in her way of saving her friends.

 

***

 

The apartment was unusually dark and quiet as Nero entered. There was no fresh smell of coffee to greet him, no sight of Carine curled onto the couch with a warm mug in hand to welcome him. It was just dark. And cold. 

_ Not much different than it was before she came into my life, _ he thought as he took off his helmet and made his way towards his room to undress. 

He had been locked in his lab all day, running all the necessary tests needed to make sure that his theory could effectively be put into practice. Livia and Rhitahtyn were successful in bringing in quite a few beastmen through the day, locking them in separate containment bays away from the vast amounts of aether crystals that were currently sitting near the Ultima Weapon. 

Since the defeat of Titan, Gaius had been adamant in forcing Nero to hurry in his work to make sure the weapon was done and ready for use. Conquest was coming quickly upon the horizon, and with it all the fame and glory that he could ever imagine. The Emperor himself would acknowledge his work in making this defeat happen; how he brought an ancient technology back to life to subjugate the pesky Eorzeans once and for all. It was so very close that he could almost grasp it in his hands, but that all rested on whether or not his theory rang true.

“Looks like someone forgot to make a pot of coffee,” Nero called out before entering his room. He didn’t bother waiting for a response. He knew she would come rushing out at any moment to correct her mistake, apologizing profusely in the process. He could see it now, the flush in her cheeks, the sidelong glances she would send his way, tempting him to reward her for at least  _ trying. _

Hells, he might just reward her for the sake of rewarding himself considering the stroke of luck he was on.

When he exited his room, there was no sound coming from the kitchen, nor was there any sign of Carine rushing to make him his coffee. Nero frowned, walking through the apartment in search of her. He even looked at his tracking device, showing him that she was indeed here, so where in Seven Hells was she?

Nero knocked on her door. “I would like to know where my coffee is, my little bird,” he called to her. No answer. He tried several more times, but got nothing.

“If you have not come out by the time I finish making this pot and having my first mug, I am coming in whether you like it or not,” he growled, turning on his heels and stomping his way into the kitchen. What had gotten into her? Surely it hadn’t been something  _ he _ had done. She couldn’t possibly still be angry with him over their intimate moment before Gaius’ arrival, could she?

As the coffee machine began to hum to life, Nero felt something hit him in the back.  _ Hard. _ He turned and stooped down, picking up the ring that represented his marriage to the bloody Eorzean who was currently looking at him with a daggered glare. He would have thought he would be used to such an icy stare from her by now, but there was pain and sadness and a fury he could  _ feel _ from across the room. 

“How did you do it?” she asked, her voice staccato. 

“I’m sorry, but how did I do what?” he asked, setting the ring gently on the counter. 

Her jaw stiffened and fists clenched at her sides as she stalked towards him, fire burning in those lavender depths of her eyes. “Don’t play coy, Nero. How the  _ fuck _ did you find them?”

_ What in bloody Hells has gotten into her? _ He asked himself as he stared her down. “I have no idea what you mean,  _ Carine, _ ” he said to her, hoping that saying her name would quell the inferno in her eyes. 

He was so wrong.

The Garlean had barely any time to react as her fist slammed into his jaw, busting his lip and sending him to the counter. She rounded on him again, surprisingly strong for an Elezen, but he was prepared as he caught her fist in his hand to stop the incoming blow. That didn’t keep her from fighting him, and with surprising speed and agility he hadn’t been aware she had, she brought her knee up into his groin and then smashed his foot with her own. 

Nero doubled over as a wave of nausea overcame him at the intense pain from her attack, releasing her fist so he could regain himself. Adrenalin took over, masking the hurt as he blocked her blow by blow. Once he was upright, the Garlean quickly took action and grabbed her again, twisting her arms behind her back until she was crying out in pain. She tried to headbutt him, but he avoided the contact and he was smart enough now to press her lower half up against the counter in the kitchen so she couldn’t kick or knee him in the balls again.

“I don’t know what has overcome you, dear  _ wife, _ but I can assure you that this behavior will  _ not _ be tolerated,” he growled in her ear, keeping her pinned between the counter and the bulk of his body.

“You killed them! They surrendered and you fucking killed them!” she screamed, fighting for all she was worth. Which was a lot, apparently, because Nero found it incredibly difficult to hold onto her.

“Carine, stop,” he ordered, though she didn’t listen. “I have no bloody clue what you are on about.”

“The Scions. You found them through me and sent that-that  _ bitch _ to slaughter them all!” Carine gave one final shove before collapsing against him and letting out a choked sob.

He blinked in surprise, furrowing his brow as he processed the information. He hadn’t heard anything about killing the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and news traveled fast through their walls. Gaius wouldn’t have let this victory go unnoticed, not to anyone.  _ Especially _ not to Nero. 

“Describe this bitch, as you so put it,” he told her, gently loosening his grip on her so that she was given some freedom. 

“White armor, guns on her arms. A huge bitch is a given, I think,” she sniffed, no longer resisting him. 

_ Livia. _

“If I let you go, will you try not to kill me?” he asked. Carine said nothing, but she nodded and so he released her. His blue eyes watched carefully, waiting for her to come at him again should he let down his guard. “Good girl. Now, explain.”

Nero listened intently as Carine told him about what had happened to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. The way she told it made it seem as though she had experienced it with her own eyes, a strange thing considering that she claimed to have found them that way. It was clear that it had upset her, for the woman hardly showed him any form of weakness otherwise. Seeing the tears roll down her soft cheeks, hearing the sobs choke her, it stirred something within him, a possessive rage that made him want to hurt the person who had done this to her. 

Seven bloody Hells. 

“So you knew where they were? This entire time?” he asked when she was done. 

Carine nodded, then shook her head, avoiding his gaze. “Only recently did they allow me to know their exact location,” she admitted. “So I could help them prepare for the fight against the Kobolds.”

“And how  _ exactly _ did you manage to keep this from me?”

She shrugged, “I guess they have some technology themselves.”

Nero clasped his hand around his jaw, pulling it down as he looked towards the ceiling. “Do you have  _ any _ idea the position you have put me in? If Gaius or Livia finds out that you knew all along and I didn’t…” he sighed. “All of my credibility with you will be gone. You won’t be able to leave the castrum after this.”

Her eyes widened with shock and fear and her lips parted. “No! My mother…” she sputtered.

“You should have considered her before you withheld such viable information from me,” he told her. 

“You would have killed them too!” she pointed at him, the panic that had just been on her face replaced with anger. “I didn’t want innocents to die because of me.”

Oh his sweet little wife. Always looking out for anyone other than herself and fearing the worst. “I had no reason to want them dead, little bird. They helped me find the Primals through you. They aided me, whether they knew it or not, in collecting crucial data for my work,” he explained. Of course, he would have gladly turned over their location once he was done using them, but Carine didn’t need to know that little detail.

She seemed unconvinced, but at least she was no longer violent towards him as her features softened. “You really didn’t know?”

“No, I really didn’t. And, quite frankly, I am not pleased to be the last one informed on the matter,” he grumbled, wincing a bit as he licked his lip.  _ Bloody wench and that right hook… _

Carine’s eyes widened as she looked at his face, and suddenly she was fishing through the cabinets until she found what she was looking for. Carefully she poured a pink liquid onto a soft cloth and approached him, holding out her hands as a symbol of peace. 

“Let me look at it?” she asked, eyeing his swollen lip.

“Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?” he sneered, but made no move to avoid her as she dabbed the cloth against his mouth. A tingling sensation pricked at his injured lip, making it itch as she blotted away the blood. Soon, it wasn’t sore or sensitive to touch. Impressive.

It was difficult to watch her as she carefully worked on him. Her brow was puckered in concentration and he found it amusing the way she would stick her tongue out and hold it over her upper lip. He liked the feel of the cool brush of her fingers against his cheek as she moved his head up and down, this way and that, examining her work. Just when he thought she was done, Carine leaned forward and pressed her full lips to his, claiming a kiss he had not been expecting. 

And it wasn’t a simple kiss either. He could feel a cool, water-like sensation pouring over his lips and into his mouth as she deepened it, pressing herself closer to allow the magic she was emitting to flow freely between them. As soon as he realized what she was doing, Nero pulled away, holding her at arm’s length as he stared at her.

“Since when do you know healing magic?” he asked, ignoring the twitching below his belt that begged him for more. 

Her eyes were wide and fearful, but she held his gaze like the defiant beauty she was. “The Scions taught me. I’m not very good at it, but at least no one will know I hurt you,” she explained, nodding towards his lip. 

Nero released her and turned, looking for something that would let him see what she meant. It didn’t hurt anymore, and he was certain it didn’t feel swollen, but he had to see it for himself to be sure. He settled for the shiny surface of the ice box in the kitchen, turning his face this way and that as he examined her handiwork. 

Nothing. She hadn’t left a trace of the mark she had left upon him. 

“They taught you to kiss wounds better?” he cast a glance at her. 

“What? No! I just-I just thought it would have been preferable to me touching them with my fingers...

“I assume you learned to fight from them as well?” he smirked, turning around and closing the distance between them. He could see her swallow hard as he took her chin in his hand and lifted her face to his. Her lips trembled against his as they pressed together, the twitching in his breeches getting harder to ignore. Too many times had he been denied the sweet pleasures she could give him, so many times that now his body ached for hers.

He pulled away, enjoying the sight of her lashes fluttering against her cheeks before she turned those lovely eyes up to his. “Yes,” she whispered, her hand slowly tracing up his chest. How quickly she turned from the fierce fighter to the eager to please woman before him, though it disturbed him greatly how much  _ he _ wanted to please  _ her. _

“Tell me what you want, Carine,” he purred, kissing the corner of her mouth to the sharp line of her jaw, slowly making his way to her ear. “All you have to do is tell me.”

The Elezen gasped as he nipped her and her skin pebbled at the intimate contact of his nose dragging against her neck. He could feel every muscle within her stiffen in anticipation while he slid his hands along the curve of her waist. The smell of her desire filled the kitchen, overwhelming the pot of fresh coffee he had just brewed. It told him all he needed to know, but he took pleasure in hearing that desire spoken aloud by her lusty voice.

“Make love to me?” she asked so softly that he almost didn’t catch her words. The innocent way in which she asked, or the fact she asked that at all clutched at his chest in an unfamiliar way that should have shaken him to his core. 

Instead, it spurred him on.

Nero reached around to the back of her head and grabbed a fist full of the gorgeous silvery white hair that fell in gently waves around her face. The Garlean pushed her against the closest wall, pressing his thigh between hers as he yanked her head back hard, exposing her neck to him. 

“I do not make love, Carine. I  _ fuck, _ ” he growled into her ear, his voice darkening with the lust that pulsed through his being. “So long as you understand the difference and accept those terms, I will  _ fuck _ you tonight until you are screaming my name in ecstasy and then I will  _ fuck _ you some more.”

She whimpered against him, her hips slowly grinding against his thigh in an eager response. Nero wouldn’t do anything until her consent was spoken aloud and her permission granted for him to do as he pleased. He had not forgotten she was a virgin, and he had no intention of hurting her, but his little bird had come to desire and enjoy the rough way he handled her. 

And quite honestly, Nero loved the way she reacted. 

Carine fluttered her eyes at him, cheeks flushed red and eyes blown black with lust as she held his gaze. In a tone that was sure to unmake the man, she spoke, “Then prove it.”

_ Seven bloody Hells, did she just challenge me? _

The Garlean claimed her lips a moment later, tracing his tongue along their edges and demanding entrance. Her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers threading through his golden hair as he hoisted her up around his hips and carried her down the hall. Carine’s powerful thighs gripped him as he felt along the wall for the sensor that would allow them into his room, and it was all he could do to stumble his way to the bed that awaited them. 

Carine fell back, silver hair fanning out like a halo around her head, a perfect picture of a woman far too eager to lose her innocence. She chewed her lower lip, watching as Nero removed his white shirt and grinned as her gaze explored every hardened muscle beneath. As much as he wanted to be the one to remove her clothes, she beat him to it, quickly throwing her shirt off the side of the bed and wiggling those tantalizing hips until her breeches and undergarments were removed. 

With his breeches still on, Nero climbed on top of her, forcing himself to make sure she was ready to take him as much as he was able. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer until their bare chests were pressed together in an intimate embrace. A stark contrast to the night they had first met, he noted with a smile, running his hands down her body to touch as much of her as he possibly could.

The Elezen writhed beneath him as his fingers slid over her navel and between her thighs, wetting themselves with her growing desire.  _ Fucking Hells… _ he thought, slicking his fingers through her sensitive folds before pressing them within her. She tried to rise to kiss him, but with his free hand he made her submit, wrapping it firmly, yet gently around her throat. His action was rewarded by her hips bucking up to meet his steady thrusts as her hands wrapped around his arm to hold him in place. 

_ You have no idea how much I want you right now, do you my little spitfire? _ he praised her inwardly, pressing his palm to her clit. And it was true. As much as Nero enjoyed sex before her, it was something easily put off from his mind until he had the time to relieve himself in the arms of whatever woman pleased him. With Carine, it was different. He wanted to please her, not only because he knew she would give as good as she got, but because he  _ enjoyed _ watching her come apart. He enjoyed the way she submitted to his ministrations, however foreign they were to her. He enjoyed the way she begged him for what she wanted, how easily she had been trained to do so. He absolutely enjoyed the way she shouted  _ his _ name as she came around his fingers, her body clenching around him and begging for more. 

The hard throbbing of his cock agreed that it was time to finally give her what they both desired.

Carine watched him with glassy eyes, body still convulsing with the spasms of her climax as he pulled off his breeches and climbed back on top of her. Nero could see the worry and hesitation there as she came to realize just what they were about to do. He didn’t like that, so he cupped her cheek gently in reassurance, rubbing his thumb against her skin until she began to relax below him. 

“Will it hurt?” she asked against his lips.

“Not for long if I can help it,” he grinned against her, pulling away so that he was resting on his knees. He grasped her hips, lifting them just enough to where he could rub the head of his cock against her, twitching at the stimulation. All he had to do was give one quick thrust…

_ “Scaeva, report to the Praetorium immediately,” _ Gaius van Baelsar’s rough voice shouted into his ear, startling the man into pushing himself back. Carine looked at him in bewilderment, though she made no move to pull away. 

“This better be bloody important for you to interrupt me,” he snarled in response. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so furious with anyone, especially with his superior.

_ “You forget with whom you are speaking, Nero. Report in ten minutes. Do not be late.” _ And with that, Nero could feel the disconnection. 

Never in his life had he been so tempted to disobey a direct order from Gaius, but one look at Carine’s naked form made him want to. 

“Work?” she asked, a hint of disappointment hanging on her words as he pulled himself away. 

He wasn’t going to make her first time a quick deal, not when he wanted to thoroughly enjoy the moment and make it last as long as she wanted. “Unfortunately,” he replied, pulling on his breeches. He searched for a moment to find his shirt and pulled it on over his head. 

“That’s shitty. Couldn’t you tell them you were busy?”

_ Busy indeed, _ he thought as he leaned down to kiss her. Why did he do that? He didn’t know and didn’t want to question it at the moment. “I assume this has something to do with these Scions Livia raided,” he replied. The coldness returned to her eyes and she curled her body up to hide it from his view. “Sleep here tonight. I’ll be back as soon as I am able.”

“And what if I’m asleep?” she asked. 

He knew the time was ticking and if he delayed himself, he would have much more to answer for than whatever had Gaius angry with him, but he couldn’t help himself but kiss her deeply once again until she was pressed into the mattress.”Then I will join you,” he promised against her lips. “And we can pick up where we left off in the morning.”

Before she could intoxicate him further with her scent, Nero pulled himself away and straightened up his clothes. He gave her one last look to watch as she curled up under his blankets on his bed on his side.

Nero quite liked the sight of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pretty sure I should hide from Nero at this point. I can't imagine he is too pleased with all of these interruptions I am throwing his way xD


	14. A Change of Pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“What in Seven Hells are you doing?” Nero snapped, reaching for her arm and pulling her back in. “It’s a bloody storm out there.”  
>  “What, Nero? Have you never danced in the rain?”_

“What is so important that you felt the need to interrupt me yet  _ again _ just when things with my wife were getting good?” Nero asked as he strolled into his laboratory, coat billowing behind him in the effort. 

Gaius was standing on the far end of the room looking out the large window that hung over the Ultima project, speaking in quiet whispers to someone dressed in entirely too much black. A screen beside them cut to black, but Nero had already seen the unmistakable face of their emperor before it had gone dark and he hadn’t looked thrilled. The two of them turned in unison at his presence, his mentor’s face shadowed by disappointment and determination while the stranger’s face seem covered in some strange, red mask

_ An Ascian, _ he thought to himself as he approached.  _ What in Seven Hells is Gaius doing consorting with an Ascian? _

“Timely, as always,” Gaius said, turning back to the screen. “Is Ultima ready to be unveiled to the XIVth Legion?” 

Nero raised a curious brow, pausing just short of where the Legatus stood. “My calculations are still premature, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to-”

“I asked if Ultima was ready, not what you had left to do,” Gaius slammed his fist down on the panel before him, nearly making Nero’s heart stop within his chest. So much  _ priceless _ technology so close to being carelessly destroyed…

“Do you wish for Ultima to be successful? Or do you wish for us all to blow up in case something goes terribly wrong? I need time to properly run these tests or else-” he began.

This line of thought was quickly cut short as the man dressed in black stepped between the two Garleans. “Now, now,” he said, the corners of his lips curling into a cunning smile. “Ultima will perform just as I have told you. It  _ is _ ready, all it needs is the strength and power of the Primals to start its core and it will then do the rest.”

“See it done, Scaeva,” Gaius ordered, not even giving his subordinate the chance to counter that of this intruder as far as he was concerned. 

“My lord, if I may?” Nero glared at the Ascian, who somehow looked familiar to him, but he couldn’t place  _ where _ he had seen him before. “While I do  _ love _ playing with powerful weapons and figuring out all their little tricks they long to show me, it would be ill-advised to rush such a delicate process. One wrong move, one wrong step and this would all be for naught.”

“Then I advise you to work through the night and have it ready for the day after tomorrow. I shall have Livia oversee the process of the Primal summoning in the meantime,” Gaius gave a wave of his hand. 

Nero didn’t like this. While he had no qualms with working through the night (as he was quite used to it by now), he didn’t like being rushed into doing so. When accounting for the massive amount of power that Ultima was capable of? That only heightened the stakes. Of course, all that was left for him to do was expose the weapon to the Primals and see to it they were properly absorbed without setting off some sort of chain reaction…

“It will be ready,” he nodded in affirmation. As much as he would  _ love _ to make sure everything would go absolutely perfect with his pretty weapon, the chance to prove his worth to all of Garlemald would be worth the risks involved. Besides, Nero tol Scaeva was not a man to back away from a challenge.

“All will be well, my lord,” the Ascian reassured the Garlean. “Emperor Solus is a fool to doubt you, but you will show him your worth.”

“You are dismissed, Lahabrea,” Gaius leaned over the panel, his blue eyes scanning the weapon schematics before him. “Nero, you stay.”

With that, the Ascian turned to leave, casting a triumphant look over at the other Garlean. It wasn’t as though he  _ cared.  _ As far as he was concerned, it had been his genius they had needed to understand how the weapon worked in the first place. Nero flashed him a brilliant smile, taking stock of the man as he passed him. Lahabrea dropped the mask, revealing a set of hazel eyes and a young Midlander face with ash blond hair…

And suddenly Nero remembered where he had seen that face before.

_ That’s how you did it. Clever, _ he mused to himself, turning his attention back to his superior. 

“Might I now ask why I was the last one to know about your little raid on our Scion friends?” Nero asked, taking his place at Gaius’ side and grabbing a screen to make any adjustments as he saw fit.

“And just how did you hear about this?”

“Well, let us see. First, my  _ wife _ refused to make my coffee. Then the wench tried to  _ kill _ me in my own home because she thought that it was  _ I _ that had attacked them,” he replied. “However, it appears that I was the last informed on this decision as I thought our dear Livia was rounding up the Ixal for my tests.”

His mentor was silent for a few minutes, watching him work and offering any information that the other asked for. It reminded Nero of the old days when Gaius would spend long nights working with both he and Cid, preparing them for anything the Academy might have thrown their way. Simpler days, when all he had to worry about was how Garlond would outwit him the next time they were tested or made to invent something to improve their technology. A bittersweet thing.

With a flurry of motion, the older Garlean swung around and gripped Nero by the throat, pushing him against the panel and bearing down on him with a snarl. “Then you can understand my disappointment on being the  _ last  _ to be aware of the Scions’ location,” he roared before releasing him. “Were you unaware of her activities while you allowed her free roam with our enemies? Or were you plotting against me yourself?”

Nero coughed and rubbed his throat from where Gaius had grabbed him, anger flashing behind his eyes. He had to tread carefully here, there was no doubt. As skilled as he was in combat, there were few men that could face the likes of Gaius van Baelsar and live. 

He wasn’t foolish enough to count himself as one of them.

“Of course I  _ knew _ where she was,” he croaked, thankful that the force of Gaius’ hand hid the lie as he straightened himself out. 

“Then explain why you did not inform me immediately,” his mentor asked, rounding on him again.

_ So touchy today, _ he grumbled to himself. “Did something happen, my lord? Is the emperor not convinced of our plan here?”

“Do  _ not _ change the subject, Scaeva,” Gaius warned. “I asked you a question.”

Nero rolled his shoulders in a deliberate shrug. “Had I informed you of their whereabouts from the first, you would have rushed in and taken them immediately. They had information on the Primals I sought for this wonderful project you bestowed upon me,” he told him. “I followed the Scions through Carine and thus I happened upon the extraordinary discovery of what Ultima could do in half the time it would have taken otherwise.”

The older Garlean seemed to consider this a moment, though Nero knew he wasn’t entirely convinced. It was an easy excuse, but not one he could likely counter without sufficient evidence. How thankful he was now that Carine had been open with him just before this. Had he not been able to calm her down to talk to him about this, they both would have likely been in more trouble than even he could imagine.

“You place far too much faith in that wife of yours,” Gaius stated. “Do you not fear that she will turn on you the very moment things shift in favor of the blighted Eorzeans? There is still the matter of this Warrior of Light to be considered.”

Ah yes, the Warrior of Light, the latest bane of Gaius’ existence, and the most recent object of Nero’s undying curiosity. “The Warrior of Light will be of little concern once Ultima is in proper working order.”

“And do you not consider the possibility that your wife could go to them? Or perhaps she  _ is _ this warrior in disguise?”

Nero couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh at the very thought.  _ His _ little bird, facing down her greatest fear and somehow felling a  _ Primal? _ As much credit as he would give the woman for looking at both him and Gaius without fear, he had been there the night she had been taken by the Amalj’aa. He had bore witness to her fear first hand, rubbed the stress and strain of her taunt muscles with his very fingers. Hells, he had just bested her in the fight they had within their kitchen before things became heated in another sense between them. She had been strong, she had been fast, but Nero had been stronger and faster. 

“You saw her aether readings as clearly as I did. Above the normal range, but nothing remotely special about them. In comparison to the readings I received from this Warrior of Light-” he began.

“Livia stated that those readings were inconsistent, that only when they used their power did they rise to such numbers,” Gaius interrupted. “You know better than to eliminate something before you can properly test it.”

Nero nodded in agreement, “Of course, however she attacked me earlier this evening and I was able to restrain her relatively quickly and with little damage myself. If she were this Warrior of Light, it would be reasonable to assume there wouldn’t be anything she  _ wouldn’t _ do to free the Scions.”

Gaius seemed to consider this, his fingers pulling at his peppered beard as he did so. “Very well,” he said at last. “Perhaps my suspicions are wrong. However,” he added, turning the deep blue of his eyes to Nero in accusation. “You are far too attached to the woman. I understand impregnating her is your duty to Garlemald, but even now I can see it in your eyes that more is there.”

Nero placed his hand over his chest in mock surprise and horror, putting on an over dramatic show for the man before him. “Be still my beating heart!” he exclaimed with sarcasm. “You have naught to worry about, my lord. My heart shall always belong to myself, first and foremost.”

“That is what I fear,” Gaius rolled his eyes before going silent for a moment. “With the Scions currently disbanded and within my custody, there is no longer a need for your wife to leave our castrum walls. As such, there will be no more home visits without direct supervision.”

Well that wasn’t going to be a pleasant topic of conversation, that he knew. He had only just calmed her down after the discovery that Livia had raided the Waking Sands. Now? Now he was going to have to be the bearer of bad news and tell her that she could no longer visit her mother, the very thing that had allowed them to live in peace together since they had made their arrangement.

_ Fantastic, _ he thought to himself as he went over the myriad of ways that particular conversation was going to go down. No doubt it would take  _ months _ to convince her into his bed again, if he was able to at all…

“Another thing. At this week’s end, we  _ will _ be unveiling the Ultima Weapon to the XIVth Legion. Emperor Solus may find our cause hopeless, but we shall prove him wrong by delivering the one nation that has escaped our grasp again and again. Make sure that heathen wife of yours is dressed appropriately,” Gaius informed him.

“But that is only in two days, my lord…”

“Get it done, Nero. I am counting on you. Garlemald is counting on you.”

 

***

 

“Wake up, little bird. Get dressed,” Nero rumbled into Carine’s ear. The Elezen refused to open her eyes, choosing to roll over and bury her face into her pillow and submit to the warm, gentle caress of the maroon silk against her bare skin. She couldn’t remember a time where she was more comfortable than she was now in this godsforsaken place, and she wasn’t ready to leave that comfort behind for whatever he wanted to throw at her today.

Nero wasn’t so patient this morning, however, as he pulled the sheets that had been heated with the warmth from her body, exposing her naked flesh to the chill in the air. Realizing just how naked she was, Carine quickly sat up and reached for the blankets to hide herself from his prying eyes. It was silly, she knew that considering she had been all too eager to show him everything last night, but instinct drove her to cover her body and glare at him as he smirked. 

“I was sleeping, you know,” she snapped, pulling the sheets up under her chin.

“I noticed. You were snoring too,” he grinned, his eyes lighting up in amusement as he perched himself on the edge of the mattress. “Shower, change, whatever you need to do, get it done in an hour. Coffee is ready in the kitchen.”

Carine narrowed her eyes warily, cautiously waiting for the man to pounce on her now that she was completely vulnerable and very much naked in  _ his _ room on  _ his _ bed. 

_ Since when did that happen? _ She asked herself as she looked about at her surroundings, taking in the sight of a room far more cluttered and disorganized than she thought possible from the man beside her. Books sat haphazardly on the shelves that lined the walls, some of them open on a desk in the corner along with several magitek trinkets that appeared broken or taken apart. It was very different from the picture of control that he seemed to have everywhere else in his apartment, and even over himself. 

“Where are we going?” she dared to ask, looking about at the mess of clothes in the floor and wondering how she was ever going to find her garments that were now mingled within.  _ And who the fuck are you? _ She added mentally, noting that there was still nothing quite personal about his room despite the mess.  _ Not a single family picture, nothing that looks even remotely like home… _

“If you must know, we are going out to visit your mother,” he replied with an indifferent shrug as he reached down to pick up her shirt from the floor.

Carine caught it as he tossed the garment toward her, her mind trying to work out what it was he said. “We? As in the two of us? Why?” One by one her walls erected around her, shielding her from whatever surprise bit of information he was sure to deliver. Judging by his overall indifference, she could only assume she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

“Relax, dear wife. Tomorrow Gaius is hosting a formal occasion to demonstrate the latest in Garlean technology,” he explained. “As much as I would  _ love _ for my bride to be dressed in only the best Garlean designs, I have this  _ feeling _ that she would rather wear anything but what I chose. Considering your mother is a seamstress, I assumed you would rather wear something she made you rather than anything I could buy.”

She bit her lip and blushed, clearly not expecting such a forward response. She couldn’t deny the faint flutter of butterflies in her stomach that he even remembered that her mother made clothes, though they were short lived. He knew because he watched her. He watched her because it gave him power over Carine. He didn’t do it for her benefit at all, but that didn’t explain why it had to be the both of them. Unless…

“This will be my last time outside of the castrum, won’t it?” she asked in a hushed whisper, her icy gaze falling to the floor and melting away.

Nero said nothing and even cast his eyes away from her, the only display of guilt she had ever seen from the man.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” she asked more forcefully this time. 

“Gaius believes that now the Scions are no longer a threat to Garlemald or the treaty, then there is no reason for you to wander outside our gates. So yes, you are right,” he replied reluctantly.

“I find it surprising you aren’t pleased with that. Here I thought you wanted me in your bed or barefoot and pregnant in your kitchen,” Carine rolled her eyes. 

Her wit was rewarded by a devious smirk as Nero reached over to grasp her chin in his fingers and tilt her face to meet his gaze. “You are more than welcome to remain in my bed just as you are from this day forward if you so wish, I would have no complaint,” he grinned, his thumb rubbing her lower lip. “I can do without you being pregnant. For now.”

With that, the Garlean released her and stood, shedding his shirt and breeches as he made his way to the washroom attached to his bedroom. Carine stared after him, strongly debating on whether or not she wanted to follow after that amazingly sculpted back. In the end she determined it would be a poor decision on her part to do so, unrelieved sexual tension or no, so she pulled her shirt on over her own head and retreated to the safety of her bedroom to prepare for whatever their day may hold.

 

***

 

A couple bells later, Carine and Nero landed at the airship docks of Gridania as thick, rolling clouds hung heavy overhead. She had managed to convince the man to leave behind his intimidating armor so as not to draw as much attention to them as they made their way through her homeland. Naturally the Garlean had thought a flashy (and utterly outlandish) yellow trench coat and those godsawful glasses were a suitable alternative to the typical maroon of his armor, so it came as no surprise to her that people stopped and stared as they passed.

Carine found that she wanted to show Nero her world, the place that she grew up and the friends she had made during her time here. Miounne was the first she wished to bring him to so that he could taste the delicious coffee she made, but the older Elezen woman denied their business, claiming to be too busy to serve them. It made sense as no one liked the Garleans and here was one of their own dragging one of the enemy behind her, so she decided that it would just be best to rent a Chocobo carriage and make their way to the Lavender Beds where her mother lived. As it turned out, they wouldn’t take their business either. She could have ridden Buck, who was currently stabled in the rental stables, but he couldn’t possibly carry them both.

“Looks like we’re walking today,” she said as cheerfully as she could knowing damn well he wasn’t going to be pleased.

“What?” he growled, icy eyes darkening as they looked towards the stables. It was all she could to to grasp his arm and pull him back. “Will you let go of me? I only wish to let these heathens know who they are dealing with.”

“These  _ heathens _ are my friends, Nero,” Carine warned. “It isn’t such a bad walk to the ferry from here and then it won’t take terribly long to get to the Lavender Beds.”

“And the rain?” he arched a brow, lifting his gaze to the sky at the heavy clouds hanging above them.

That could be a problem. The air around them was heavy and humid, promising that the rumbling overhead was just the start of what was to come. “If we hurry, we might make it?” she suggested, quirking her lip up in an attempt to ease the tension. It was clear that Nero wasn’t having it, but he could hardly argue as she ushered him along to the Central Shroud towards Bentbranch. She  _ could _ have taken him straight to the ferry docks there in Gridania, but she hated the pointed stares as the citizens of Gridania looked down at her and him walking through the streets. 

Thankfully the two of them had long legs and a decent stride to carry them through the forested paths of the Twelveswood. That didn’t stop Carine from stopping to pick the wildflowers that grew off the path or touching the rough bark of the trees that stood so tall she couldn’t see their top branches from below. If this was going to be the last time she walked freely through these woods, she was going to take her time enjoying them, thunder or no.

And it was beginning to thunder quite a lot. Nero had urged her to hurry along, even taking the lead himself until he realized he had no idea where exactly they were going. Soon lightning flashed across the darkening sky and the first fat raindrops fell upon their heads. The Garlean cursed and ran for a shack just off the path before the sky opened up and unleashed a torrent of rain upon the world below.

“You should have let me talk to to the porter or we wouldn’t be in this mess,” he complained, shaking off the bit of rain that had gotten on him before he made it to the shelter. 

“Oh hush, it’s just a bit of rain. It won’t kill you,” she mocked him, holding her hand out to feel the water against her skin. “It may pass soon.”

He snorted, unimpressed. “Or it may continue on like this for bells.”

“That’s more likely.”

Nero rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest while he stared out at the torrential downpour that kept him huddled in the small shelter. Carine couldn’t help but smile at his discomfort, not because she took great joy in it, but it was amusing to see the man so out of his element. She, on the other hand, loved rain and storms to the point that her heart was pounding out of her chest with each flash of lightning and the deep roll of thunder that soon followed. Before she was conscious of what she was doing, Carine stepped out into the rain and let it wash over her, soaking through her clothes and making them cling to her skin.

“What in Seven Hells are you doing?” Nero snapped, reaching for her arm and pulling her back in. “It’s a bloody storm out there.”

“What, Nero? Have you never danced in the rain?” she shot him a grin and pulled herself from his grasp to spin her way out, throwing her head back in joyous laughter. 

He silently stood there, watching her with his cold eyes and a frown on his lips. “It’s a fucking thunderstorm, and you want to stop and dance in the rain?” 

“You only live once!” she called back over her shoulder.

Carine ignored him as he ‘tsked at her, taking in this simple pleasure for all it was worth. She didn’t care what he thought of her in this moment as she spun on her feet in the slick grass. Her voice lifted to the heavens in exuberant song while he watched her. The Elezen could feel his gaze follow her every movement, and when she stopped long enough to capture that gaze with her own, she could see the quirk in his lips, the soft curve that let her know there was no anger. 

She pointed to him, daring to curl her finger to beckon the man to join her. He shook his head, his golden curl bouncing over his brow as he denied her request. Carine shrugged and turned to begin dancing again only to slip and fall onto her back. Before she knew it, Nero was bending over her, shielding the heavy rain from falling onto her face, his face twisted in worry as he looked her over. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping away the water from her face as best he could. 

“Kiss me,” she laughed, cupping his cheek with a dirty hand. 

Nero’s expression went from that of concern to annoyance in the blink of an eye. “Pardon?”

“Kiss me,” she demanded again, closing her eyes and smiling. “I’ve always wanted to be kissed in the rain.”

“It sounds like something from a terrible romance novel. Need I remind you that I don’t do romance?” he asked, arching a brow. 

Of course he didn’t need to remind her, she knew that well enough already and wasn’t expecting it from him, surely, but that didn’t make her want it less. “I’m no fool, Nero. Pretend for a moment or two that you really like kissing me and then just...do it in the rain.”

Carine peeked at her Garlean through her lashes, wondering what it was he was thinking as he leaned over her. His fingers slid down behind her neck, bringing her face dangerously close to his so that she could better see the cool depths of those light blue eyes. Oh how she could get lost within them if she stared long enough…

“I don’t have to pretend I enjoy kissing you,  _ Carine, _ ” his voice rumbled as his nose brushed against her own, sending the butterflies within her stomach into a frenzy. Though she had asked him to kiss her, she found she was wholly unprepared as his greedily lips claimed hers, releasing a soft moan. Her fingers slid through his wet hair, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss as his tongue slicked against hers. 

If anyone stumbled upon them during this intimate embrace, neither of them were aware as they were far too lost in their kiss to care. Carine found herself wanting and needing more of him, wishing that the shack they had found to take shelter in had been enclosed to grant them some privacy so he could take her right there. He, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care  _ who _ would see them as his hands roamed over the curves of her body before finally breaking away. 

He wasn’t as unaffected as she would have believed as she looked at him with mischievous eyes. His lips were parted and the iris’ of his eyes were nothing more than small blue rings around dilated pupils. 

Nero might not do romance, but that didn’t mean romance didn’t affect him. If that wasn’t a win for Carine, she didn’t know what was.

“We should hurry onto your mother’s house,” he told her, his voice thick with lust. 

“Don’t you wish to wait out the rain?” Carine asked as she allowed him to help her to her feet. 

“I no longer see a point in it considering we are both soaked through,” he scoffed, motioning to their ruined clothes. 

She couldn’t argue with him on that point, so she beckoned him to follow her through the sheets of rain towards the Mirror Plank Ferry Docks just past Bentbranch Meadows. The skipper seemed displeased to see them arrive and request a ferry across during the downpour, but she made sure to tip him well enough so that he wouldn’t complain  _ too _ much.

Half a bell later, Nero was waiting behind the Elezen as she knocked at a cottage door. He could see the shiver shoot up her spine as the breeze that now followed the storm licked at her rain-soaked skin, though she tried to hide it by crossing her arms over her chest.  _ Stubborn little wench, _ he thought with a smile as they waited for her mother to open the door. A few moments later and they were being ushered in by a woman with silvery hair like Carine’s and warm, deep blue eyes. 

“Honestly Carine, could you not have waited out the rain? The two of you are absolutely soaked!” she chastised her daughter. “Take off your boots before you step on my nice rugs and don’t drip everywhere on your way to your room. And you,” she said, turning to the Garlean before her, looking him up and down with a furrowed brow. He waited for her to snap at him or tell him he could just stand there and drip dry for being what he was, but she did neither of those things. “Wait here, I have some towels to help dry you off. I believe I still have some of my husband’s old things you can borrow around here somewhere…”

Nero stood awkwardly at the door, patiently waiting for her to return to him with dry clothes in hand. It didn’t take too long for the woman to come back, smiling warmly as she gave him the towels in her arms and took his soaked coat from his shoulders to hang by the fireplace.

“Off you go, down the hall and to the left. The clothes are sitting there on the bed for you,” she told him, pointing him in the right direction. 

He didn’t know what to think of her hospitality as he made his way through her house, careful not to drip water everywhere. Once he was changed, he brought his sopping clothes to her to lay out by the warm fire where Carine was currently warming herself. 

“So-erm Nero, this is my mother. Mama, meet Nero,” the younger Elezen blushed, motioning to each one of them before turning her gaze back to the fireplace. 

“A pleasure to finally meet you. I worried that my daughter never would have introduced us,” her mother smiled, surprising the Garlean by taking his hand and giving it a gentle shake. 

That didn’t stop him from turning on the charm, bowing low to kiss her knuckles. He may not care to form any sort of familial attachment to the woman before him, but it wouldn’t hurt his case to put on a show for his sweet bird. “The pleasure is mine, Ms. Monteil,” he said. 

“Oh call me Elaine,” she blushed in return. “Carine, you didn’t mention he was so charming.”

Carine grumbled something to herself, shooting him a glare of death that only spurred him on more. 

Perhaps he might enjoy himself after all on this little trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! A teeny bit of fluff! (sucker for kissing in the rain xD)


	15. Her Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As she settled in snuggly against him, he couldn’t help but agree with her. No, he normally didn’t care for cuddling with anyone, but somehow it wasn’t so bad when the other person fit like the missing piece to a tricky bit of magitek._

The afternoon was much more surreal than Carine could have ever imagined. She had expected Nero to complain or rush their time spent in the quaint little cottage her mother lived, but rather he seemed to enjoy himself. Elaine even appeared to enjoy entertaining the man that had been forced to marry her daughter, divulging in embarrassing stories from Carine’s childhood that left her blushing. The likelihood of him letting her live some of those down wasn’t in her favor, judging by the mischievous stares he sent her way. 

It made sense that he would enjoy being around her mother, given how she fed his already giant ego. She would compliment his looks and his manners and his overwhelming charisma, and with each line she fed him, Carine swore she could watch his head grow. It didn’t help matters that Elaine was eager to feed him all of her sweetcakes that she could make, something she was surprised her black coffee guzzling husband seemed to enjoy. 

When dinner rolled around, the three of them sat around the table full of delicious cuts of tender dodo meat and freshly picked veggies. As was her custom, Elaine bowed her head to offer up thanks to the Twelve.

“Blessed Nophica, beloved Matron, we humbly honor you with this feast you have so graciously allowed upon my table. Let us eat and be filled by thine blessings so that we may continue to honor thee,” she prayed, her sweet, gentle voice rising almost as if she were singing. Carine repeated the last line, glancing up at Nero as she did so to see him staring at her, his expression unreadable. 

“Nero, you wouldn’t happen to be able to bring an old woman a small comfort by telling her what became of her youngest daughter, would you?” Elaine asked as she cut into the tender breast meat on her plate. Carine kicked at her, giving a small shake of her head to ask her not to go there, but it wasn’t likely her mother would listen.

“She is currently in Garlemald,” Nero replied without hesitation after he swallowed a bite. “I cannot give you more information than that, but I can assure you that she is in the most excellent of care. Safer, even, than Carine.”

At the mention of her name, the Elezen blushed and looked down at her plate, trying hard not to focus on the way it always made her feel. He bloody well knew what he was doing too, because he quirked his lips up in her direction before taking another bite.

“Is there any chance she would be allowed to visit me? In the future, I mean,” her mother asked, crestfallen. Carine knew how much it hurt to know that she may never see one of her daughters again and now there was a good chance she wouldn’t see her either after today. 

Nero cleared his throat and took a sip of the red wine that her mother had poured him. “I could not say. While our nations are agreeable at the moment due to this treaty, it is unlikely that any dignitaries other than Gaius would ever step foot here.”

Dignitary? So Violaine was with someone important like Carine? Maybe even more so given that Nero had just said she was safer than her at the moment. Perhaps there was a Legatus like Gaius that was (hopefully younger) her match. She only hoped he was a decent sort.

“I see,” her mother replied, shoulders dropping as she sighed. “I suppose I should be grateful enough to see Carine nearly every day. I owe you more than you know for that comfort.”

Carine watched as Nero turned away from her mother then, his jaw tight with what she thought might have been guilt. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought that her mother’s words resonated in him somehow, and that gave her a spark of hope that this might not be the last time she would see her.

“You owe me nothing, Elaine,” he murmured, sticking his fork into another slice of meat. 

“So when should I be expecting grandchildren?”

Both Carine and Nero choked on their food, coughing and reaching for their drinks to wash it down at the same time. “Mama!” she exclaimed, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. 

“What? Am I not allowed to know about them either? I’m old, darling, not dead,” the woman winked in Nero’s direction, and for the first time Carine was sure he was at a loss for words.

“Well, as he has explained it,” she began, looking anywhere else but at the Garleans sitting across from her. “The fertility rate among them is not exceptionally high. It could take several...erm...tries...before anything like that happens.”

_ Not that we have even tried the once, _ she thought, blushing a deep red as she remembered just how close they had come to that the night before. Had Gaius not interrupted them, there would have at least been a chance. 

“Well that’s too bad,” her mother shrugged, popping the last bite from her plate into her mouth. “You  _ will _ bring them to visit me, yes?”

“I wouldn’t dream otherwise,” Nero interjected before Carine could open her mouth, earning himself an icy glare. It was a lie, she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, but her mother did not. 

She didn’t like that he could lie to Elaine so easily and without remorse.

When dinner was done, Carine helped her mother clear the table and wash the dishes while Nero busied himself in the sitting room to make sure their clothes from earlier were adequately dry. Elaine hummed a gentle tune, completely oblivious that her daughter was trying to work up the courage to tell the woman the truth of their situation, making it that much harder to admit that ass had lied. 

“You’re taken with him,” Elaine stated, not even turning to face her daughter. 

“Excuse me?” Carine asked, nearly dropping the plate she had been drying in her hands at her mother’s forwardness. “Mama, he’s a Garlean. One I have been forced into marrying-”

“You know in Ishgard, it isn’t uncommon for the nobility to arrange marriages for their children,” her mother went on. “My parents had been arranged to unite their houses and bring a better reputation to House Monteil. I remember my mother telling me how much she hated my father. He was loud, obnoxious, and had pride to spare despite coming from a smaller line of nobility than most. Yet once they were married and living together, she began to see things in him worth her attention, and eventually her love and devotion.”

“But didn’t you run away when they tried to match you to someone?” Carine pointed out, taking another plate to dry. “Because you were in love with a man from the Brume?”

Elaine smiled, her deep blue eyes twinkling at the memories that flashed through her mind. “I did. There’s not a day that goes by that makes me regret it either,” she replied. “Still, there are few people that have the love my parents do even those that chose their partner.”

“I don’t love him though,” she shook her head. 

“No, I don’t expect you would after such a short time. My mother said it took her years to admit she loved my father, and the same went for him, but I can see you do care.”

As much as she wanted to argue with her, Carine knew she was right. She didn’t hate the man, not anymore. “It would be better for us all if I didn’t. What if I can’t do what needs to be done?” she asked, keeping her voice low in case he was listening in. 

“A decision I do not envy you in making, but one I trust you will give great thought to when the time comes,” Elaine replied, cupping her cheeks with her wet, soapy hands. “Now, let me put together some sweetcakes for the two of you to take home for the evening.”

Goodbye was harder than it should have been. Carine knew there was a good chance she would never see her mother again after today, but she had to hold out hope that Alphinaud’s plan would work as well as he thought it would. It didn’t stop the sting of tears in her eyes as she crushed her mother in a tight embrace, kissing her cheek in silent promise that she would do what it took to return to her. 

Elaine even hugged Nero, a surreal experience if she had ever witnessed one. It was clear that the tall Garlean didn’t know what to do as he awkwardly patted her mother’s shoulders and pulled himself away, muttering goodbye under his breath as he made his way to the carriage her mother had called for them. 

The rain had long since stopped, making their journey from the Lavender Beds to New Gridania quicker and much easier than it had been earlier that day. Nero had even glared at her in anger when he learned of the ferry docks located within the city itself, to which she only replied with a shrug. As night was falling around them, fewer citizens paid them any mind as they made their way to the airship patiently awaiting them. 

Nero said nothing as their airship took to the sky, his pale blue eyes staring straight ahead and his brow furrowed with a troubling expression. His chin rested in his hands, his lips pressed tightly together while his shoulders remained tight and tense. 

“You’ve been quiet,” Carine stated, finding herself at a loss of what to do around the man that was usually so full of words.

“It has been a long day, little bird,” he replied without looking at her. 

“Mayhap we shouldn’t have stayed so long?”

“And miss out on getting more sweetcakes? I think not,” his lip quirked up at that, which brought her relief. 

“So, I have a question…” Carine began, looking down at her hands as she twisted them together. It had been bugging her since she had woken in his room this morning and even more now that she had seen him interacting with her mother.

“And I may have an answer.”

“What is your family like?” she inquired. “I mean...I assume once you invade and take over Eorzea now that the Scions are gone, you won’t be remaining? Will I get to meet them?”

She couldn’t help her curiosity on the subject. Nero’s personal life was a mystery to her. She knew about his job and his passions, surely, but behind all of that? Oh he had ambition, and Cid had explained his role in that to her when she had first met the man, but who shaped Nero into the man he was? 

Nero flashed her a grin, “Not to worry, dear wife. The only family I have is Gaius, and you have already had the wonderful pleasure of meeting him.”

_ Yeah, right after you scrambled my mind on the bloody counter and practically announced that things had just happened between us, _ she thought, blushing crimson at the memory. “Really? No one else?”

“Nope. When I was three, my parents sent me to the Academy like most Garleans do when they fight for the Empire,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Wait...so you  _ grew up _ in an academy? How horrible!” 

His eyes darkened and his face clouded over as he looked over at her. “How is that horrible? I slept in a warm bed every night with my belly full. I attended classes that furthered my education without paying for it and as a result I am now the second in command to the XIVth Legion, second only to Gaius van Baelsar, one of the most respected men in all of Garlemald. Tell me, Carine, what becomes of the unwanted children in Eorzea?”

She wanted to argue with him and explain it wasn’t the same, but how could she? Carine knew of the plight with the Hyur’s that fled Ala Mhigo after their nation had been taken by the Empire. Marni herself was a product of the event, and it had been clear to her that the girl wouldn’t have made it long on her own with no one to care for her. 

And that was just in Thanalan. She hadn’t visited many orphanages, but there wasn’t a city in all of Eorzea that didn’t have starving children in the streets, begging for whatever scraps were tossed their way. As her mother told it, Ishgard was even worse, and that was before the Calamity put an eternal winter on the country.

“I see your point,” Carine admitted begrudgingly. “But at what cost?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“Love,” she replied. “What about that?”

“Love isn’t necessary, little wife. Love is something you are taught to think of as the ultimate power when the truth is only  _ you _ can achieve the things you strive for. What you are capable of is only limited by your imagination,” the Garlean explained, leaning back in his seat and resting his head on his hands behind him. “I have accomplished much more than people who have this ‘love’ you speak of by putting myself first and reaching for everything that the naysayers claimed to be out of my grasp. I want for nothing, need nothing, and the only father-like figure that I have ever felt the need to impress hired  _ me _ to be his second in command.”

Carine remained silent for a few minutes, processing everything he had just told her. “For a man that says he has everything, you seem to be trying to convince yourself of that,” she finally said, looking up at him in sadness. 

“Hmph, I don’t need to convince anyone, my accomplishments speak for themselves,” he ‘tsked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from her. 

When they arrived to Castrum Meridianum, Nero wasted no time strolling out of the airship at a brisk pace that Carine struggled to keep up with. Clearly she had hit a nerve, though by his own proclamation, she shouldn’t have. Even when they had reached their apartment, she had tried to follow him into his room to talk to him some more, maybe even apologize (not that she felt she  _ had _ to), but he had shut the door in her face.

As it was clear that he wasn’t in a mood to be around her, Carine returned to her room and changed into the silken maroon robe that he had bought for her shortly after she had arrived and curled into the warm blankets on the bed he had shared with her for a few nights. She wasn’t tired as she lay there, her mind rehashing their conversation over and over again as she tried to understand what bothered him. 

He claimed that he didn’t do love, yet she could see the way his eyes lit up any time she thought to ask him about his work. The day that he had showed her that strange device that measured the power of one’s aether was just one such example of something that he loved, but that seemed like a poor argument at best. People also loved puppies and kittens and certain food. It just wasn’t the same.

Carine supposed it made sense that he didn’t do romance. Apparently he knew about it, considering he had mentioned their kiss in the rain sounded romantic, but how could one do it if they hadn’t experienced it for themselves? Hells, when had Carine ever experienced romance? She hadn’t dated much when she was younger, and even then those dates had been a simple walk through the forest. She had done that now with Nero. 

In the rain. 

And her mind began to wander to the night he had massaged her shoulders, working the tension and fear out of her system with careful, deliberate strokes. Maybe it wasn’t  _ romantic, _ but it had certainly done something to her that night more than her stroll through the woods with past lovers. And the kiss in the rain? The way he had looked at her when he said he didn’t have to pretend to enjoy kissing her?  _ That _ was romantic whether he wanted to think so or not. Even now her fingers reached up to brush her smiling lips at the memory. 

The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how much he had given to her, for being a man that was self-centered and didn’t do love. He had stopped when it was clear she wasn’t ready for sex. He had massaged away her fear after facing Ifrit (not that he needed to know that little detail). He had kissed her in the rain simply because she had asked him to. And he had brought her pleasure several times without taking any for himself.

Nero might not do love, but he couldn’t claim not to  _ care. _

Carine got up from her bed and re-wrapped her robe around her, tying a loose knot at her waist and went to his room. She knocked on the door, waiting as she impatiently tapped her foot before knocking again. When it finally opened, his blue eyes flashing in anger from just beyond, she pushed her way in.

“I don’t have time for this, little bird,” he growled, motioning for her to leave. It looked, based on the clothes he had laying out on his bed, that he was planning on going to work. That seemed a foolish thing to do at this bell after being busy all day. 

“Then make time,” she demanded, perching herself at the edge of his bed. “Go, take a shower.”

He raised an incredulous brow, a half smile playing on his lips as he followed her pointed finger to the washroom. “Did you just order me? In  _ my _ home?”

Carine raised her chin defiantly, her eyes staring into his. “I did. Now go.”

Surprisingly, the Garlean did as she instructed, disappearing past the door and leaving her alone to sort out her thoughts. Once she heard the water turn on, she began going through his drawers beside his bed until she found the Doman oil he had used to give her a massage what seemed like a lifetime ago and then she put away his clothes. He wouldn’t be needing those. Her heart pounded in her chest, the pressure thrumming in her ears as twisted the glass vial in her hands while waiting for him to finish bathing. As prepared for this as she thought she was, she couldn’t help the slight shake in her fingers when the sounds of water finally stopped.

A few moments later, Nero appeared out of the washroom. Carine swallowed hard as she took in the sight of him, half naked and dripping wet with a fluffy towel tied around his trim waist. His golden hair hung haphazardly in front of his face, beads of water falling occasionally as his pale blue eyes examined her appreciatively on his bed. 

“What now,  _ Carine _ ?” he said seductively, slowly bringing himself to the bed. “Since you appear to want to order me around.”

_ Well, seems you have a pretty good idea considering you just purred my name like that, _ she grumbled inwardly, almost wishing that he didn’t have that effect on her. 

“On the bed. On your stomach,” she instructed, getting up and motioning for him to lay down. 

“Why?” he asked, cautiously eyeing the bottle in her hand. 

“Someone once told me that a tool under too much stress could break under the slightest pressure,” Carine recited, pointing at the bed again. “Take care of the tool, and it won’t.”

A wide grin spread over his handsome features as the Garlean did as he was told, nestling himself in the center of the bed so that she had to crawl over to reach him. Of course he would try to make this more difficult than it had to be. 

Carine poured some of the oil into her hands and pressed them to his shoulders, pulling them away as Nero jerked at the contact. 

“Dammit, woman! You’re supposed to rub your hands together to warm the oil,” he hissed, glaring at her from the corners of his eyes. 

“Oh...oops,” she smirked. She had no idea what she was doing, but did as she was told and rubbed her hands together to heat the liquid before beginning the massage. Nero soon relaxed as she spread the substance over his bare skin, her fingers kneading into the hard muscles he had developed from years of training. 

Carine found it difficult to massage him thoroughly from the side, and the strain in her own back and shoulders made her want to quit before she really got started. She considered maybe asking him where he hid the handy table that he had her lay on, but then had a better idea. Before she allowed herself to be talked out of it, she swung one leg over his back and straddled him, resting her ass on his for a better position. 

_ Oh this is much better! _ She smiled to herself, leaning in and rubbing his back in ways she thought might feel good. Nero was an excellent coach through it all, telling her where he needed the most pressure and helping her navigate along the length of his back. She couldn’t help but beam triumphantly when she could bring out a sigh or a slight moan from the man beneath her. She must have been a quick study, for soon he quit giving her directions and allowed her free reign to explore his body. 

With a sudden movement, Nero twisted beneath her, hardly unsettling her in the process so that she now straddled his hips. The change was so quick she hadn’t had time to process what happened, even as his hands slid up her thighs and beneath the robe tied around her. 

“Done yet?” he asked with a devious grin, his rough fingertips tickling her skin. Carine shook her head as she let her hands wander across the broad plains of his chest, her gaze devouring him. 

She was thankful he didn’t rush her as she tried to work out in her mind what exactly she wanted to do with him now that it seemed she had successfully trapped him in his room. Her heart was still pounding far too hard to consider doing anything with his shaft currently pressed against her through the thick fabric of the towel, so she chose to explore him as he would let her for the time being to work up the courage for  _ more. _

“Did you have many lovers back in Garlemald?” she asked, her voice shaky with nerves as she broke the silence between them. 

“This isn’t a typical topic of discussion for this situation,” he replied with a smirk, still rubbing short lines up and down her thighs. “Are you sure you wish to know?”

Carine blushed crimson, her ears burning with embarrassment. “I-suppose not. No,” she stuttered, averting her eyes from his as she traced her fingers against his flesh towards his toned abdomen. It had been a silly attempt to have conversation. Hells, did people normally have conversation during sex? 

Nero seemed to pick up on her discomfort, his lips curling into a smile as one hand reached up her robe and grasped the globe of her ass, digging his fingertips into the soft flesh there and holding her in place. “Tell me, what fantasies are in that head of yours?” he asked.

That was a question she honestly didn’t know the answer to, at least not an answer he could possibly fulfill. He waited patiently, hands rubbing up and down her thighs, somehow melting her into a pool of desire without having actually  _ touched _ her in the way she had become accustomed. 

“I-um, can’t think of any,” she shook her head. It was difficult to imagine how she could possibly want to have sex when she hadn’t had it in the first place. Carine had always imagined, as she was sure most young women had, that her first time would be gentle, tender,  _ loving. _ Nero was none of those things. He was all heat and passion and control. 

He arched a golden brow in sarcastic disbelief. “Everyone has a fantasy, little wife. I find it difficult to believe you do not, even with your innocence.”

“Yeah? Well, you fulfilled the big one of kissing me in the rain, so give yourself a pat on the back for that,” she admitted shyly.

Nero watched her with dangerous silence, his cold eyes staring into her own as if he would find the answer deep within her soul. As unsettling as it was to have him looking at her so rawly, it sent a wild thrill up her spine at the same time. 

“No desire to be taken against a tree? Or perhaps in a shower?” he asked, his almost predatory eyes piercing hers as he situated himself below her. “You seem to enjoy it when I wrap my fingers around that pretty neck of yours. Maybe you would find it pleasing to be fully restrained as I take you?”

The Garlean continued to whisper all kinds of filth against her lips as his fingers slowly pulled at the sash keeping her robe closed. At first, they were simply suggestions that made her heart race, but it became very clear that the man had given much thought in all the ways he  _ wanted _ to take her. So detailed in his descriptions was he, that Carine couldn’t help but close her mind and submit to the mental images he painted for her as he peeled away the silk from her skin to expose her nakedness for his eyes to behold. 

“Surely  _ something _ I have mentioned has piqued your interest?” he rumbled against her, cupping one of her breasts and thumbing the tightening bud. 

“I-well,” she began, stopping herself as she thought back to everything he had said. Surely she wasn’t ready for half of what he had mentioned given her current level of experience, and based on what she had heard from other women about their first time, the idea of being  _ fucked _ wasn’t entirely welcome. “Could you just, erm...show me? Something easy to start?” she suggested. 

The blue rings around his eyes grew thinner as his face darkened. Carine found herself regretting giving him control of the situation when a dangerous smile spread over his face as the man quickly grasped her by the hips and rolled himself over her, pinning her on the bed.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Carine?” he asked, a hint of concern hanging on the edge of his words as he looked down at her. 

Even now the stupid ass longed to hear her tell him that this was okay. She was here, in his room, naked as the day she was born and pinned below him, and still it wasn’t enough to satisfy his desire to hear her say that she  _ wanted _ him. 

“Will I always have to tell you when and how I want you to fuck me?” she asked.

“Always,” he smiled down at her. That genuine smile. The one that didn’t seem to hide any ulterior motives behind it. The very one she always wanted to see from him. 

“Well...I can’t ask you to make love to me…” she thought aloud, ignoring the dramatic eye roll from above her. “Will take me work?”

Nero grumbled deeply in approval, his voice lowering as he reached down to bite her neck, bruising it with his teeth and causing her to cry out. Carine was prepared to fight him off if she had to, but just as quick as his attack had been on her neck, she found him tenderly kissing and licking the sore spot until all she could feel was a pleasant tingle. He repeated this process until she found that the biting didn’t hurt  _ terribly,  _ not when he “kissed” it better right after. 

Soon she was moaning as his hands rubbed up her body, grasping at her full breasts and bringing them to his dangerous mouth. He was more gentle in his ministrations, almost tender as he licked and sucked her tight little buds, giving them equal attention. And then a quick, hard twist would make her press her chest into his eager palms, sensitizing her flesh and enhancing the pleasure his tongue could bring her. 

It was unlike anything Carine had ever felt before. At first, she had been so sure that he wanted to  _ hurt  _ her in the way he seemed to manhandle her body, but as her skin became more sensitive, she soon realized that had been his goal all along; to make her entire body a single erogenous zone. It drove her wild, making her run her fingers through her hair while they weren’t gripping tightly to his shoulders as he worked his way along her collarbone.

A couple minutes later and Carine had reached down to grasp the towel clinging to his hips and ripped it off him, desperate to be closer to the man currently driving her mad with lust. She could feel his shaft resting against her belly as he worked his way up to her neck again and then to her lips. He gasped the moment she grabbed his cock, gently stroking it as best she was able in their current position, taking great pride in watching as he closed his eyes at the sensation. 

“I want to make you come,” she rasped, her voice thick with need as she kissed him again, quickening her strokes.

“Not yet,” he urged her to stop, grabbing her wrist and pinning it over her head. “You first.”

Carine wanted to complain that he had already pleasured her plenty before now, but any argument she had died on her lips the moment she felt his fingers slick through her folds and bury themselves within her quivering depths. Biting back a moan, she worked her hips against his palm with each thrust to bring herself higher and higher. She felt it as he curled his fingers in a come hither motion, pressing against sensitive flesh she wasn’t even aware she had, and pressed his thumb to the throbbing bundle of nerves demanding his attention. 

She shouted his name as her orgasm claimed her, fingers grasping desperately at the sheets as if they would keep her locked in reality though her mind was far from it. Dimly aware of the man pressing himself between her thighs, Carine relaxed as the last of the aftershocks rolled through her body, sending her to blessed bliss. 

The moment was short lived, however, as Nero lifted her hips and  _ slammed _ into her with such force that her eyes widened in shock. His lips covered hers, swallowing her cries as his cock filled her, stretching her far more than his fingers just had. 

“Carine? Talk to me,” he ordered her after pulling away from their kiss. Worried blue eyes stared into hers with concern she hadn’t thought the man capable of. “Are you okay?”

It wasn’t like the way the other girls had talked about it, she concluded after she had taken a shaky breath and assessed the situation. She had honestly thought it would have been more painful...and with much more blood. As it was, there was only mild discomfort and the strange feeling of just being  _ full. _

_ Hardly anything I should have been so worked up for, and that wasn’t even gentle, _ she mentally noted, cursing herself a bit for being so frightened.

“It’s...different,” she allowed herself to tell him, meeting his eyes with a look of reassurance. “Not bad...just different.”

If he had tried to hide the look of relief, he had done a piss poor job of it as he pressed his forehead to hers. It almost made her feel cherished, this intimate moment between them as he waited for her body to adjust to him. 

Soon, her hips began to roll against him of their own volition. Sparks of pleasure at the gentle movement only excited her further and the way his eyes rolled in the back of his head made her feel triumphant. She wanted more from him, wanted him to move against her and show her everything she had been missing out on. 

A wish that he soon granted. 

Nero slowly pulled out of her, thrusting back in quickly to watch the stars dance behind her eyes as they lit up at the new sensation. 

“Oh!” Carine gasped as he repeated the motion, gentle yet firm, pressing ever deeper into her. “Oh this is  _ wonderful! _ ”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction, thinking about how it seemed to perfectly fit the woman now biting her lip and moaning in the pleasure he was giving her. The only problem he now faced was whether or not he would last long enough to make her come like this. She was incredibly tight, and it hadn’t taken her long to meet his rhythm, working her hips against his and riding his cock for all she was worth beneath him. 

Carine tossed her head back, crying out as he fucked into her, grasping at her hips and bruising her skin with his fingertips. Oh, but she was a lovely sight with her pink, flushed skin and lust darkened eyes. Her fingers tangled in the mess of silver spread over his sheets, pulling at her hair as his thumb reached between them to rub against her clit. 

Normally Nero was content to take all the time he needed to pleasure any partner he had. He greatly enjoyed making them beg for him to bring them release, screaming his name when he finally granted it to them. But with Carine? Something was different about her. Of course she had control over him, he allowed it just so, but instead of longing for her to worship him, he longed to worship  _ her. _

And so his self-control was soon lost as he thrust into her harder and faster, quickening the movements of his thumb against her clit to bring her higher and higher before he allowed himself to come. It had been too long with far too many close calls since his last release, and even then, his rough calloused hands were nothing compared to the slick-wet heat of Carine’s tight cunt wrapped around him. 

Nero bit his tongue in concentration, trying his best to block out the intense sensation. She was too much for him; her desperate moans, her nails biting into his flesh as they dragged down his back, the way she  _ begged _ him not to stop. Stronger men than he couldn’t have held themselves back if they had tried. 

He came hard, his voice shaking in his throat as he spilled his seed deep within her, cursing himself over his lack of restraint. Carine hardly seemed to notice as she continued to roll her hips against him, her body wound like a tightly coiled wire and spurring him on until she finally shattered around him. It was all he could do to crush her convulsing body to his, holding on and drinking her cries of pleasure while his cock throbbed with the last aftershocks of his peak. 

As her body began to relax, Nero gently laid her against the mattress, pulling himself from the warm comfort between her thighs and wincing at the increased sensitivity as he pulled the sheets over them. She sighed in content, curling herself against his side and resting her head on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if he liked the intimate contact, worried that she might get the wrong impression if he allowed it, but something told him this is what she needed. So he did what any man in his position would do. 

He wrapped his arms around her.

“Well, it’s not like the ballads claim,” Carine said after a few minutes of catching her breath. 

“You Eorzeans sing about the strangest things,” he mused, trailing his fingers over her bare shoulder. 

“ _ I _ don’t sing about it...well, unless you count me screaming your name as singing,” she admitted. 

“My favorite song, if you must know,” he told her. “Though it isn’t one I feel I would take pleasure in hearing you sing for anyone else.”

“Then I shall endeavor not to do so, dear husband,” the devilish woman smiled against him, her lips brushing against his flesh. “Is it okay if I just stay like this for a while? I know you don’t do the whole cuddling thing…”

Nero kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her as he pulled her closer against his body. “Sleep, Carine. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

As she settled in snuggly against him, he couldn’t help but agree with her. No, he normally didn’t care for cuddling with anyone, but somehow it wasn’t so bad when the other person fit like the missing piece to a tricky bit of magitek. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one...and probably poorly edited as I waited until after work to go through it (for like the 5th time).
> 
> I just want to say a big THANK YOU to you guys for reading this and leaving your lovely comments. You have increased my confidence tenfold and I cannot even begin to thank you enough! Seriously, I adore you all so much!


	16. True Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"One day,” she began, so quiet he had to strain to hear her. “Someone will come into your life you didn’t expect and they will destroy **everything** you have worked so hard to build for yourself. And when you think that you have nothing left, you will be haunted by their face knowing that there was **nothing** you could do to stop them from taking it all from you.”_

Carine was plagued with dreams through most of the night. She tossed and turned as her power of the Echo sent her to unfamiliar landscapes until she stopped within a large city with tall, black spires similar to those that were within Castrum Meridianum. Just as before, she found that she couldn’t move of her own free will until she saw a couple with a little blond child tottering behind them heading towards the tallest of the buildings. She felt drawn to them, silently floating as they ascended the stairs. 

The man was tall and lean, built in a way that reminded her of Nero. He had long, dark blond hair and harsh, blue eyes. Beside him was a beautiful woman whose pale gold hair was pulled back into a harsh bun, sharpening her features and making her appear more intimidating than her male counterpart. The boy with them couldn’t have been much older than three years with his shock of thick, golden curls and the palest blue eyes that she had only ever seen once before...

Nero.

The man pressed a button near the door to this building while the woman held tightly onto her son’s hand to keep him from falling down the steps. Another man, dressed in the typical Garlean armor answered the door and invited them in, handing them each a stack of paperwork to read and sign. 

_ Seems the Garleans have come a long way since then, _ she thought to herself as she watched them skimming the pages or just skipping to the end. When it was all said and done, the couple saluted the man and handed the child over to him, walking away without a backwards glance. The boy, who Carine now knew was Nero, cried out, reaching for his parents, but they continued down the hall and out the door as though his wails fell on deaf ears.

Before Carine’s tears could fall for the loss he must have felt and the confusion of being left in an unfamiliar place, the scene faded to show the boy older now, closer to seven or eight. Nero’s hair was still a golden mess of curls as he practiced hard at fighting against the other boys he had grown up with. Again and again he lunged at them with everything he had, trying to prove that he was the best the Academy had to offer. And he did. Unsuppressed rage acted as his focus, allowing him to beat each challenger that stood in his way.

And that was when she saw Gaius standing along the edge of the wall, his helmet masking his face as he watched the boys train before him. When the training was over, all of them lined up to be judged by the man, the losers still standing their ground while Nero beamed in pride. As Gaius approached him, she could see just how eager to please the young boy was, but the Legatus’ words seemed to crush his spirit. 

“You need discipline, boy,” he said before reaching for Nero’s hand. The younger Garlean seemed reluctant to take it, but did so and followed the general down the hall to a laboratory. There, he began to put Nero to work, showing him how to use magitek and piece it together. The boy did as he was told, focusing everything he had into making things work and learning how they worked until he could proudly present his first creation to the man that had helped guide him.

More years passed in the blink of an eye, and Carine found herself looking at a teenage version of the man she was currently in bed with bent over a workbench and doing things with magitek that left the other boys his age scratching their heads. This time, when he presented his work, Nero did not beam with pride until it had been fully inspected and told that he had exceeded expectations. Only then did she see him give his signature half smirk in knowing he was the best. 

And then another boy came into the picture. Long, white hair, shorter build, bright, grey eyes told her that this boy was Cid Garlond. The two of them seemed to hit it off well right from the start. They constantly fed each other ideas, becoming better and better at creating new technology for the Garlean Empire to use. It seemed to be the perfect friendship, almost a brotherhood between them until one night Nero happened to see his friend being guided not only by the Minister of Technology himself (who was Cid’s father), but Gaius.

Carine could see the look of betrayal in his eyes as he marched to his room and began working on his project alone, focusing all his anger and rage into his creation. When his friend stopped by to offer his help, Nero turned him away, locking his door and hiding his notes. Another scene passed and this time she watched as Nero’s careful work was overlooked in favor of Cid’s.

Again and again, Carine bore witness to the disappointment he felt when his former friend -now rival- outdid him in everything besides combat. She could practically feel his resentment towards the man that had helped guide him on this journey as Gaius openly praised Cid at every turn, choosing to take him under his wing and train him personally. All the while, Nero never gave up on trying to be better than his counterpart, pushing himself further and harder than he ever had until he created the magitek armor he named the  _ Red Baron _ . 

So much pride he seemed to have in himself and that piece of weaponry that Carine couldn’t help but feel proud  _ for _ him. And then Cid revealed the  _ Enterprise, _ his special airship that could do what no other Garlean airship could. 

And so he was defeated again. 

Even after Cid fled the country upon discovering the devastation that magitek wrecked upon innocents, Nero still felt trapped in the man’s shadow which only fed his hatred for the person he had once thought of as a friend. Still, that didn’t keep him from shirking on the expectations placed upon him by Gaius, making bigger and badder weapons to use in conquest against those they saw as enemies. 

The last scene she found herself watching was the day Nero felt like all his hard work had paid off; the day that Gaius van Baelsar promoted him as his second in command, rising the man that had come from nothing to serving one of the most powerful and respected generals in all of Garlemald.

 

When she woke, she found that Nero’s side of the bed was empty. Carine sat up and scanned the room for any sign of the Garlean and let out a sigh of relief when she heard him rummaging around in the washroom. A few minutes later and he reappeared, fully dressed and moving as though he were ready to leave.

“Must you go to work so early?” she asked, stretching her arms over her head and pointing her toes. 

Nero nearly jumped out of his skin, clearly not accustomed to anyone being in his room. “Unfortunately there seem to be things that demand my attention this morning before the demonstration this evening,” he explained, pulling on his boots after sitting on the edge of the bed. “Tonight must be absolutely perfect.”

Carine could hardly imagine anything being more perfect than what they had done the night before, awkwardness and all, but she nodded. “At least allow me to make you a cup of coffee to go?”

Nero didn’t object to the offer as he watched her slide herself from under his sheets and pulled her robe around her with appreciation. Together they made their way to the kitchen, a gentle tune humming in her throat as she started the coffee machine. She couldn’t help but notice the slight soreness between her legs, no doubt a product of their night before, as she moved around and waited for the coffee to brew. 

“How are you feeling this morning, little bird?” he asked, his tone playful as he watched her.

“Not too bad, dear husband,” was her reply, casting a wink in his direction. “Would have been better had someone not had to go to work early. I was thinking about having another go.”

Carine couldn’t help but notice the way his brow raised in surprise at her response, or the wicked grin that spread upon his face as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I think there should be plenty of time tonight after the demonstration for satisfying your demands,  _ Carine, _ ” he purred into her ear, giving her a meaningful nip that sent a flush across her cheeks.

“Will you be back in time to take me? Or will I be doomed to navigate the castrum on my own?” she asked, turning around to meet his gaze.

“Someone shall be sent for you, I’ll make sure of it,” he said, accepting her kiss before nodding to the machine. “Looks like our time is up.”

She took her time pouring the rich, black coffee into his mug, grinning to herself as she did so. Eventually she couldn’t help but to laugh as she thought about just how she got into this situation. 

“What’s so funny?”

“This. All of this. Look at us, all domestic. It’s almost like we’re really married,” she giggled, handing him his mug and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Should I tell you to have a good day at work, husband?”

The Garlean rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We  _ are _ married. By law, if you need reminding.”

She waved him on, ignoring his sass with the toss of her hand. “Yes yes, I am aware. I’ll see you tonight.” Carine then reached up and kissed him again, deeper than before. Something had changed between them and she knew they both felt it. Maybe it was the sex, maybe it was more, but she wouldn’t let whatever sour mood he might be feeling for having to go into work ruin the way she felt. 

After he left, she remembered that there was no more leaving the castrum to go back to Eorzea and do what she had been doing for the past several months. That left for little for her to do besides clean things up. So Carine went back into Nero’s room to make his messy bed and try her best to organize the mess of clothes he left on the floor. She dared not touch the clutter on his desk in fear that she might mess up whatever it was he was working on, but she could at least organize the bookshelf to the best of her ability. 

Not long into the task, Carine began to notice that the books she was organizing weren’t the typical manuals like what he had in the sitting room, but were actual  _ stories. _ Not only were they stories she knew and had grown up with, as most people had, but they all revolved around the underdog hero saving the day.

Hardly something she expected a man like Nero to enjoy. 

Carine spent her day organizing his room and occasionally reading his books, taking great care not to bend the pristine pages lest she ruin them the way she had some of his manuals. With decent reading material and plenty of work to keep her busy, the rest of the day passed relatively quickly until she was sliding on her navy Thavnairian silk dress up her body and braiding her hair into an elegant updo.

She didn’t have too long to wait before her escort was requesting permission to enter their apartment, dressed in the dreadfully black armor that all the lower ranking officers seemed to always wear. He didn’t say much as he motioned for her to follow him, leading her through the lobby of their building and out the door to a small airship. 

The sun was finally setting in the distance, bringing on a beautiful starlit sky above them as the pilot of the airship ascended into the air and towards the center of the castrum where the Praetorium stood. Carine licked her lips nervously as they were permitted through the magitek barrier that protected the building, her heart pounding in her chest at what might await her. Nero didn’t seem too bothered by what he was planning on showing her, so she couldn’t imagine it was anything that would be used against her people, but that didn’t mean that it still couldn’t be something terrible either. 

The escort lead her through winding passages, making her wish she had chosen smaller heels for her ensemble until he brought her to a set of tall double doors. Upon entering the room, Carine found that it was already full of people dressed in armor, leaving her to stand out in the crowd. Her heart fluttered as all eyes turned to her, though all she wanted was to find the one person that she knew in this sea of strangers. 

She wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking at as she glanced about the space. They appeared to be in a large viewing room with a giant glass screen before them. It was difficult to see what lay beyond that as it seemed to be blackened by whatever technology they had. Servants, all people who weren’t Garleans themselves, weaved in between the people clad in decorative armor as they mingled, distracting them with trays of food and allowing her to properly search for Nero.

By the grace of Nophica, Carine finally laid eyes on the maroon of his own armor and that spiked dragon helm he hardly wore. Beside him was the formidable Gaius, and beside  _ him _ was the woman she recognized as the person that had captured her friends and killed those that weren’t useful to her.

Her breath caught in her throat as the three of them turned to look at her, joined shortly after by one of the tallest and broadest men she knew as she walked in their direction. She couldn’t help but dig her nails into her palms as her gaze held with the woman in white, hoping to the Twelve she could feel her wrath from here. 

 

Nero removed his helmet, setting it down on a stool beside him as he smiled at her. In all the time he had known the woman, he hadn’t realized just how nicely she could clean up, even with wearing Eorzean style clothing instead of the Garlean chic that was what he was accustomed to. Her hair was pulled to the side, letting silver waves fall gently over one shoulder. The dress itself was simple and elegant, dipping dangerously low in the back to a bustle as it clung tightly to her body, the deep navy bringing out the brightness of her lilac eyes.

“Pleased to see you made it on time, little bird,” he nodded. “I trust you know Gaius as the two of you have already met. This is his wife, Livia sas Junius.” He motioned to the woman in white, noticing the clench in her jaw. 

“I would say it is a pleasure, but it would be in poor form to say such a thing to a savage,” Livia stated, making Nero clench his own jaw.

“Likewise,” Carine replied as sweetly as he had ever heard her speak. No need to worry about her then, she was more than capable of handling herself well under pressure.

“Your bride seems to speak her mind,” Livia pointed out, turning her attention to him. “How very  _ interesting. _ ”

“Is it so? And here Gaius has complimented how we are such a great match,” he replied with his signature charming grin. 

“Indeed,” she mumbled, turning back to Carine. “Tell me, savage, how do you like our culture so far? Much better than your own, yes?”

“Which part? The one where you force families apart just to use the women to increase your armies or the one where you use those armies to take over their homelands?” Carine replied with a beautiful smile. Nero quickly jabbed her in her side, warning her to watch her tongue. Livia was not someone to degrade on even terms, let alone in front of her husband and fellow Tribunes. 

“My apologies, Livia, it appears that I have misspoken. Your culture is lovely. The industry is simply amazing and clothing seems...reasonable. The only thing my meager savage mind cannot seem to comprehend are those lacy garments that Nero seems to think go under everything. We don’t have anything like that back home. It’s impractical, so I forego them. They are simply too complicated for me to figure out,” she corrected herself, nearly making him choke on his drink. 

“Carine…”

“Well then, it seems he doesn’t have her quite as well trained as he has lead us to believe,” Livia smirked, taking her husband’s arm. “I believe we are done here for now?”

“Agreed,” the Garlean nodded, following his wife through the crowd and leaving Nero with her and Rhitahtyn, and the Roegadyn took off not long after. 

“Must you chase away my friends?” he sighed, turning his attention to the Elezen that was beaming with pride. “Lacy things?”

“To be fair, I’m truly not wearing any right now, so it wasn’t a lie,” she winked at him. 

Nero couldn’t help but smile at her in pride. She may speak her mind to a dangerous psychopath of a woman without fear, and she might do her best to anger him in whatever way her clever mind dreams up, but she was  _ his. _

Gaius hadn’t been wrong when he had said they were a great match. 

“Think you can tell me what it is you are demonstrating this evening?” she asked, following along beside him as he lead her to the blackened screen. 

“You will see soon enough, my eager little wife,” he replied, leading her to a front row seat that gave her an unadulterated view of the platform. 

True to his word, it seemed that there wasn’t much time wasted before Gaius took to the stage. His presence seemed to order the entirety of the room to quieten and find their seats without uttering a single word. Carine sat down, crossing her legs and giving the Garlean her undivided attention, the sense of dread in her stomach growing with each passing second. 

“Citizens of Garlemald, tonight you shall bear witness to what will become the greatest accomplishment of the Garlean Empire,” he began, his voice booming. “Ere since the defeat of Silvertear, where the great wyrm Midgardsormr tore our airships from the sky and when the elder Primal Bahamut desecrated the field of Carteneau, I have endeavored in finding a way to rid the blighted land of Eorzea from the dreaded Primals once and for all.

“Our beloved emperor had all but given up hope on our mission, leaving the XIVth Legion to our own devices. Little did he know that we had the answer to our problems hidden within the depths of Ala Mhigo.”

With that, the blackened screen behind the Legatus cleared, revealing a monstrous piece of technology that didn’t look like anything Garlean made that Carine had seen.  It was several yalms tall, dwarfing the size of the Primals that she had already defeated, even Titan. Large, mechanical wings sprouted from it’s broad back, it’s torso seemingly attached to the body of a dragon with four, thick legs and a swinging, scaled tail. 

Carine gasped, as did the rest of the room as they took in the sight of the thing, some of them clapping, others whispering to each other on what it was, and still others like her that felt the color drain from their face. Nero stood beside her, clapping his hands and smiling proudly as Gaius motioned for him to join onstage, giving him the floor to explain what exactly this  _ thing _ was. 

“The Primals of the beast tribes have always been a threat to the world we live in, even to the ancient Allagans that once ruled all these lands. We have always wondered and theorized just how such a technologically advanced race was able to keep these eikons at bay until now,” Nero explained, pressing some buttons on a screen before him. In the laboratory below, the machine began to power up, the pieces of it exposed under the armor glowing a foreboding red as it came to life. Carine clutched at her dress, eyes darting between that monster and the man currently controlling it. 

“It is called Ultima. A weapon used to destroy a fully powered eikon with a simple touch of a button,” Nero went on, pressing more things on his screen and revealing three large rooms. Immediately Carine recognized both Ifrit, standing over several dead Amalj’aa, and Titan who was crushing the dead of the Kobolds below him. The third one, Carine assumed had to be Garuda, the Lady of the Vortex and the one Primal she had not yet fought. Each of these holdings had crates upon crates of aether crystals feeding the Primals, and behind them were thralls protected by the barrier around their gods, their faith feeding into their power.

Carine watched in silent horror as the Ultima Weapon turned itself to face each eikon, glowing red and consuming the Primal with such ease that it made her fight against them seem more like a hopeless war. Eventually all three were gone, somehow destroyed by that monstrosity, not that it gave her any relief. He had admitted it was a weapon, after all, and weapons with such power could easily oppress a problematic nation that won’t be brought to heel. 

The crowd around her cheered, their plight answered by the might of Ultima as they praised both Gaius and Nero for their work on such a thing. She couldn’t bring herself to clap or offer her own praise, not even when he cast his pale eyes in her direction. This couldn’t be all the demonstration was about, not with how content the Tribunes looked up on their stage or how Gaius and Liva both seemed to look in her direction.

“And that is not all,” Gaius stated, taking the front once again. “Ultima not only rids us of the blighted Primals, but absorbs their power. Through this weapon, Emperor Solus will be able to rule, unopposed, all of Hydaelyn!”

To prove his point, he pressed a button and Carine watched as the weapon focused on the thralls that were trying to resurrect their fallen gods, blasting them with a beam of pure energy and leaving nothing behind but ashes. Her eyes stayed fixated in front of her where the thralls had been just moments before. Though she could feel the excitement in the air all around her, the celebration faded in her mind as the faces of her friends and loved ones replaced those that had just perished. 

Gone. 

That’s what was going to happen to the people of Eorzea,  _ her people, _ if she didn’t free the Scions and stop this madness from happening. Tears welled in her eyes, but she willed them back. No need for these Garleans, no, these  _ enemies, _ to see her cry. Cautiously she found Nero’s gaze, the pride in his eyes cutting her deep like a blade. He had just created a weapon, or helped refurbish one, capable of killing everything she had ever loved.

And he  _ dared _ to look at her, proud of such an achievement. 

How could she have been so foolish to think that there was something in him worth caring for?

Silently, the Elezen stood to her feet and made her way out of the room without looking back, carefully shoving her way through the cheering crowd until she was free. Carine pulled off her heels, tossing them into a dark corner and ran through the hall, desperate to get away from everything she had just witnessed and running blindly out of the Praetorium through the streets of the castrum without a care of where she would end up. 

How could she defeat that thing? She had struggled enough as it was fighting Ifrit and Titan on her own, but Ultima had the power of three Primals that could be used against her as well as the power it used to destroy them in the first place. She needed to contact Cid. He and Alphinaud and Y’shtola and Yda needed to know what they were up against. 

And she needed to free the Scions.

With everything riding on her shoulders, Carine began to feel the world sway around her as her breaths came in shorter bursts. Shaky hands reached out to grasp a wall as she sank to her knees, tears now streaming down her cheeks as the last of her control gave way to panic. She curled herself into the smallest ball she could, squeezing her eyes shut and tried to breathe deeply, but all she could see was the destruction on the field of Carteneau five years ago as her fellow Adders and Eorzeans fell around her trying to escape the wrath of Bahamut. This time, the faces of the Scions and her friends and mother replaced her fallen comrades and Ultima took the place of Bahamut, leaving her there alone to face him.

A hand touched her shoulder, jerking her out of her waking nightmare and looking into the eyes of a concerned Midlander whose dark eyes were currently examining her. “You alright, miss?”

Carine had no words for what she felt, but if she had, alright wouldn’t have been among them. She shook her head, resting it against her knees, keeping her face turned away from him. She couldn’t speak, didn’t want to, especially not to anyone on this side of the bloody castrum walls. 

He seemed to catch on as he rested his broom on the edge of the building she was leaning against and took a seat beside her. “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked after several minutes of strained silence between them. 

She lifted her head, eyeing him suspiciously as he looked at her. “Why?”

“You saw the Ultima. We all did,” he replied, turning his eyes to the ground. “Nothing like that should be used against anyone. It’s bad news, it is.”

“I’m stuck here,” Carine sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. “I can’t leave, not anymore.”

“What if I said that I could help free the prisoners and get you out?”

If she hadn’t been suspicious before, Carine certainly was now. Who was this man and why did he want to help her? How did he have access to her friends and why try to save them if the empire he worked for wanted to rule over them? “What’s in it for you?”

The Midlander was silent for several minutes, his fingers tapping against his knees as she regarded him carefully. “You saved my life once. I don’t reckon you remember, but you did. I may not be a smart man, or a strong one, but I like to think that I live by a code like any other person, and that means that I owe you for that.”

“I-I don’t understand,” she replied, sifting through her memories to see if he was a familiar face she might recognize, but there wasn’t much familiar about him except for, perhaps, his voice…

“I guarded you along with the idiot who thought it might be a good idea to bust your face. Nero didn’t like that. You kept him from killing me,” he smiled sadly. “I’ll likely never forget that. Bravest thing I have seen any of the brides do and you didn’t even know me.”

At his words, Carine remembered the day that she had been Drafted and the two guards that had been standing outside her cell. Never once had she thought back to the guard that she had stood up for, she hadn’t honestly thought of that as saving his life anyway, yet here he was offering to help her and the Scions escape. 

“How can you help me?” she asked, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes. 

The Hyur blushed. “I was, er, demoted, you see?” he motioned to the broom. “But I have access to the holding cells where those prisoners are being kept and the weapons room because of it. I can drop off an identification card and some armor to disguise yourself with in a hidden place as well as some maps to help navigate you out of here.”

“If I agree to this, what do you get out of it? Besides paying a debt, I mean.” She hated looking a gift Chocobo in the mouth, but she hardly believed someone’s sense of honor would bring them to defy their own nation, even if he wasn’t a true Garlean.

“I was sold to the Garleans by my mother when I was young, you see. She had been married to one, but in the five years of their marriage, they only ever had me, and I didn’t have the third eye that they want. So they tossed us out, making her homeless and friendless in Ala Mhigo. She sold me for money that would get her by, and I watched the way my people were treated from behind my helm and never did anything to stop it,” he explained, looking back at the ground. “A lot of innocent people died because I didn’t take a stand. More innocent people are going to die if I don’t help those prisoners out which means more people will grow up in that kind of world. The Scions and that Warrior of Light? They can change it all.”

Passion flared in his eyes as his hands clenched into fists. It was easy to see his hope, to  _ feel _ it rolling off him in waves. Hope in the Scions. Hope in  _ her. _

“Okay,” she nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. “Tell me where this armor and stuff will be waiting for me…”

 

***

 

Nero waited impatiently in the sitting room of his apartment, pacing back and forth in front of the large window and fuming over where that woman might be. The bloody wench had left sometime during the cheering for  _ him _ that he hadn’t noticed her disappearance until after everyone had settled down. Thanks to the pomp and circumstance of Gaius’ formal events, he hadn’t been able to leave and search her out until it had come to a close. 

A few people had seen her running off, but not a single damn one of those fools had thought to follow her. Hells,  _ he _ hadn’t thought to have someone else keep an eye on her during the demonstration just to avoid this very situation. He wasn’t foolish enough to think she wouldn’t have been upset over what the Ultima could do, but perhaps with enough reason explained to her and the promise of her mother’s safety…

A  _ ping _ from the elevator snapped him out of his thoughts, making the Garlean stroll towards the sound to find his lovely bride walking in.

“Where in Seven Hells have you  _ been? _ ” he shouted, unable to control his anger. 

“Trying to get away from  _ you, _ ” Carine snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously as he approached. 

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Do  _ you _ have any idea what you have just put in Gaius’ hands?” she countered, shoving him backwards to move him out of the way to get to her room. 

Nero followed, grasping her arm and spinning her around to face him. “I did my  _ job, _ Carine. I was asked to get it to work, and I did. Something no other person in all of Hydaelyn could do.”

Carine clapped her hands and smiled mockingly at him. “Congratulations Nero! You did it. You proved to everyone that you are the best. Hells, I bet they will erect a statue in your honor in Eorzea herself for all to see the mastermind behind their destruction.”

“What would you have me do?” he snarled, releasing her arm from his bruising grasp. “Ultima must be controlled. So long as no one opposes Gaius, there will be no bloodshed. If there is, that blood will be on  _ his _ hands, not mine.”

She shook her head and looked to the ceiling. “My  _ gods, _ you are a fool!  _ You _ created it! Or made it work, or whatever it is you did. It was  _ you. _ ”

“Carine,” he said, reaching for her again, more gently this time to calm her anger. “I promise you, your mother will be spared. I won’t allow any harm to come to her, you have my word.”

“And what about my friends? What about everyone I have grown up with that I love and care about? What of them, Nero? Can your  _ word _ save them too?” she asked, lips trembling and eyes shining with unshed tears. He tried to pull her in, to hold her close and comfort her, but Carine jerked out of his grasp. 

“If they comply with our demands, none of them shall be harmed,” he said through clenched teeth, the ache in his chest at her refusal burning him from within.

“I promise you, Nero, they will not bow down to your emperor, just like I will never bow to him. They will fight with everything they have against you and yours to defend their freedom and their pride, same as I.”

“Then they will die,” he replied. 

“Better to die free than locked in a cage singing you pretty songs,” Carine said, turning on her heels towards her bedroom. 

“Is that so, little bird?” he mocked her, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking towards her as she paused in front of her door. “You seemed to have no trouble last night singing me the prettiest of songs, as I recall. One might have even thought you  _ enjoyed _ yourself underneath me.”

Carine’s hand rested on the panel to her room, her mess of silver waves hiding her face until she turned to look at him, tears falling freely down her cheeks. He wanted to take back his words, to reach for her again and mend the broken pieces he saw reflecting in her eyes, but he wouldn’t allow himself to give in. Not to her. Not to anyone.

“One day,” she began, so quiet he had to strain to hear her. “Someone will come into your life you didn’t expect and they will destroy  _ everything _ you have worked so hard to build for yourself. And when you think that you have nothing left, you will be haunted by their face knowing that there was  _ nothing _ you could do to stop them from taking it all from you.”

Her words were spoken as a promise, one he knew that she couldn’t possibly uphold, but if it helped to relieve her anger and hatred for him, he would allow it for now. She would come around eventually.

She always came around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long pause between updates guys!! Finally finished my last week at the other job, and this new one has more hours than I originally anticipated, but hopefully it will all even out!!! Working on the next chapter now ^^


	17. Escaping the Castrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Seven Hells! Don’t tell me you actually went there!” Cid exclaimed into her ear._

The next day, Carine waited until Nero was long gone to escape the confines of her room and the apartment. She didn’t bother collecting much on her way out, making sure only to grab the linkpearl she had hidden and a few essentials. It was hard leaving behind the other things that she had taken from her mother’s house, but all it would do is make her look more suspicious carrying it around.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, she looked down at the ring on her hand. Her chest tightened as she examined it, torn between leaving it behind or taking it with her. There  _ shouldn’t _ have been a debate about it, considering that Nero would be able to track her movements, but the thought of leaving that behind for him to find gave her pause. Which was silly, the more she thought about it, because it wasn’t as though the Garlean would miss her or be sad that she was gone. Angry, yes, and only because Gaius would consider him a failure at keeping her in check. 

With a heavy, reluctant sigh, she pulled the ring from her finger and sat it down on the counter and did her best to not look back at it as she went towards the elevator. 

Leaving the building was simple, as everyone that worked there were already accustomed to seeing her everyday. Carine  _ did _ worry about walking through the streets of the castrum towards the outer perimeter of the Praetorium, but found that no one really paid her much mind. Occasionally she would have to glance at her map to make sure she was heading in the right direction, but the Midlander’s instructions had been fairly clear on how to get to the little alleyway where he left everything for her.

Or at least she  _ hoped _ he had. There was still the very real possibility that this was all a trap meant to catch her in the act of freeing her friends and conspiring against the Empire. She had remembered from the brochures the day she had been Drafted, how they had made it clear that committing such an atrocity would be punishable by imprisonment or death. Quite frankly, neither of those options were appealing to her, so she remained cautious and alert for any signs of being followed or watched.

Just as the Midlander had said, there was a set of Garlean armor tucked away behind some sort of storage bin, along with a key card and a few choices of weapons. Carine tested the daggers and sheathed them in her boots after she had changed quickly, and then strapped the lance to her back. As much as she would have rather had her bow in hand, arrows were a finite resource and she couldn’t afford to run out of them on this mission. 

Now donned in proper Garlean wear with proper Garlean weapons, Carine stepped back out into the light of day and made her way to the door that would lead her to the holding cells. She gave her best impression of an Imperial salute (not that she hadn’t seen it several thousand times since living within their walls) and stepped through the gate.

She was just thinking how incredibly easy everything seemed to be when she overheard a conversation in a room that stopped her in her tracks. 

“Aye, they took those Scions there this morning. Livia took ‘em there herself,” one of the soldiers was telling another. 

“A shame, really. I always enjoy watching her work on our prisoners,” the other shook his head. “And here I thought we had the better tools to make them talk.”

“Mayhap we do, but they aren’t wanting ‘em to talk, see? They want the pretty one for her Echo, or whatever it is she has,” the first went on. 

“Then shouldn’t they have been sent to the Praetorium instead of Castrum Centri?”

“I reckon they don’t have much room for ‘em down in those labs, what with Ultima and all…”

Carine didn’t bother listening in to anything else as she scurried her way out of the holding cells. She did her best to look as if she were needed somewhere else, walking with determination until she believed she was well enough out of sight to disappear into a nearby alley. 

“Cid? Cid, can you hear me?” she pressed her linkpearl, keeping her voice low and even as her eyes scanned the entrance to her hiding spot. 

_ “Aye, I can hear ya lass. Found Minfilia yet?” _ the static muffled the sound of his voice, most likely caused by the interference of the Garlean technology surrounding her. 

Carine offered up a silent prayer to Nophica and the rest of the Twelve that she would be able to relay the information clearly. “No, we have a...complication…” she began an explained everything she had heard from the two guards down near the holding cells. 

_ “Give me some time to think about this. In the meantime, I’ll fly over to Revenant’s Toll and see if anyone there might know a way in. Sit tight lass, I’ll contact you when I’m ready,” _ Cid’s voice crackled before cutting out.

The problem was, they didn’t  _ have _ time to waste nor did they have another Warrior of Light capable of freeing the Scions that could infiltrate the castrum. There was no use in trying to tell Cid that, so Carine did what she had to do. 

She donned her helm and corrected her posture and marched to the landing docks where the airships were located. She found that no one bothered to question her or talk to her so long as she looked as though she were moving with purpose. Occasionally she would be asked to take things from one ship to another, giving her the perfect opportunity to listen in and find out which ships were destined to Castrum Centri.

Her heart pounded within her chest as she entered the storage hanger of one of the larger ships, carrying a crate of who knew what when a high ranking officer looked her up and down. 

“Who’re you?” they asked, taking note of the crate in her hands. 

“Er, Marni, ser,” she replied, cursing herself for sounding so nervous. 

The officer looked at her skeptically before shaking their head and pointing to a corner in the back. “Drop it there and load up, we leave in five,” they ordered. “Damn Garleans. Always sending me the green recruits.”

Carine cast her eyes towards the heavens and thanked each and every god by name as she did as she was told, keeping quiet and to herself as often as it were possible. That was luckily not an issue as everyone on board the airship seemed content to sit quietly from across each other as they took to the sky. 

So maybe the helpful Midlander hadn’t known they were moving the Scions to another prison. She could still be thankful that he had taken the time to get her a proper uniform and weapons that helped her blend in enough. If this mission turned out successful, the Garleans only had themselves to blame for it what with all the non-Garleans in charge of their transports between castrums.

A couple bells later and the airship was landing in an unfamiliar landscape. A purple haze seemed to hang in the air; some sort of gloom that clung to everything and possibly created from the abundance of crystals that adorned the land. Most of these had been destroyed within Castrum Centri to make way for the development of the Garlean industry within, but Carine could still see their tall, twisted spires piercing the sky from beyond the walls. 

She followed the unit she arrived with, keeping a lookout for anything that might reveal where the Scions were being held. It had been bad enough that she didn’t know much of the layout of Castrum Meridianum where she had been living, but now she was in a completely foreign location that didn’t seem to hold anything other than masses of training soldiers. 

The commanding officer lead them on, pointing out points of interest that the soldiers themselves would need to know. For the most part, she ignored them, until they pointed out where the prison cells were located. Her ears twitched and eyes scanned the area, noting the high number of guards that stood watch along the pathway to the giant doors at the end. Carefully, she slowly fell back until she was able to duck into a darkened corner that gave her a decent view of the prison. 

“Cid? Please tell me you know how to get me into this thing,” she said, pressing onto her linkpearl again. 

_ “Get you into what thing, lass?” _ he asked, his voice much clearer this time than before. Maybe because he was closer, or maybe there was less interference because she wasn’t by some force field that guarded the Praetorium.

“This prison thing in Castrum Centri,” she told him, pressing herself as tightly as she could against the wall as a group of soldiers passed by. 

The other end of the communications device went quiet, making her wonder if it were possible that the Garleans had technology  _ here _ that they didn’t in Meridianum that could listen in on conversations. That wasn’t a pleasant thought.

_ “Seven Hells! Don’t tell me you actually went there!” _ Cid exclaimed into her ear. 

“What else was I supposed to do? We don’t have time,” she whispered after the soldiers disappeared around a corner. “And I don’t have much time either. There are at least six guards standing watch from what I can see.”

_ “Don’t you go fighting them all off, lass,” _ he warned her, bringing a smile to her face. 

“Oh, I’m not worried about fighting them. It’s the rest of the bloody castrum that has my concern. They have several hundred Reapers and damn Deathclaws too.”

Another few moments of silence.  _ “Dammit woman. We’ll create a distraction outside the walls. You’ll know when it happens,” _ Cid told her.  _ “Carine? Don’t do anything suspicious. I’m sending Yda and Y’shtola to help.” _

As much as she would have loved to argue that she didn’t need their help, Carine was smart enough to accept it. So she did as she was told and waited for what seemed like over half a bell before alarms all throughout the castrum were sounding. Several of the guards in front of the building took off, eager to do anything besides stand and keep watch, which left two at the gate. Two was much easier to deal with than six, and now that most everyone had vacated this area in favor of sorting out whatever diversion Cid and crew had created, Carine was able to make her move. 

Maybe it would have been wise to wait for Y’shtola and Yda as backup in case things went sideways, but it was only a matter of time before Nero arrived home and found her gone. She didn’t even want to consider how long or little it would take to weed her out, nor what her punishment might be in case she were found. It was better to get this done before the sun set and night fell over the landscape.

“Halt!” both the guards called out at once, positioning their lances in front of the door to keep her from progressing further. “What business have you here?”

“A missive to be delivered to Livia sas Junius, sers,” Carine saluted them and pulled out her map, tightly rolled to look important. “I was instructed to have it delivered to her at once.”

The guards looked at each other before one reached out to grab the parchment, but she pulled it back just out of reach. 

“I was explicitly told that this order was for her eyes only. No one else to see it, not even myself,” she told the pair, praying that her performance would be bought.

“And just who sent you to deliver this?” One of them asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Nero tol Scaeva. Sent me from Castrum Meridianum just a few bells ago. Should I tell him that you were the reason this was delayed in getting to his fellow Tribune?” she asked.

Again the guards looked at each other, but this time they allowed her through without any further trouble.  _ Thank the Twelve Nero has a reputation, _ she thought to herself as she marched through the doors into the building. 

The Garleans must have thought that no one would be getting in because once her eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting of the main hall, Carine couldn’t find a single guard. Thankfully the layout was simple enough, almost like it was guiding her to her destination. At the end of the hall was a large pair of steel doors. As she got closer, she found that the doors were slightly ajar, giving her enough room to peek through and see her fellow Scions. 

Urianger and Papalymo were standing to the back of the group, glaring hard at the guards in front of them while Tataru clung close to Minfilia’s skirts. The Highlander herself was currently facing the guards head on, seemingly challenging them to try and get past her. Carine had missed out on whatever exchange had occurred, but the moment that the soldiers pulled out their weapons, she knew it was her time to act. 

With a powerful throw, Carine launched her lance through the air, driving it as hard as she could so that it would land in the largest of the soldiers. His fellows looked around in surprise as he hit the floor, as did the Scions, giving the Warrior of Light a chance to rush up on them and land a few more attacks before the guards regained themselves. The element of surprise had worked in her favor, giving her the advantage and allowing the fight to be done and over within just a few minutes. 

“What are you doing here?” Minfilia asked, eyes wide as Carine went to work cutting the rope bindings that held her friend’s hands behind their backs. “How did you get in?”

“I’m afraid it’s a bit of a long story, really,” Carine smiled. “I’d love to give you all the details once we are back in safety.”

“It appears we have company first,” Papalymo noted, pointing towards the door where more guards had gathered. 

Carine cursed, giving up on Minfilia’s bindings in favor of dislodging her lance from the chest of the man she had felled. As the Lalafell had pointed out, more soldiers had apparently heard the commotion and filed into the room. This time, however, Carine had the help of two magic users to help defend both Minfilia and Tataru from the brunt of their attacks. 

Once Urianger had cast a protection spell over them all, the Warrior of Light unleashed herself upon their attackers using her lance to make quick work of them as they rushed at her. With a full sweep of her spear, she was able to knock the melee fighters down, disorienting them long enough to launch her weapon at the medicus who was trying to keep his fellows alive. With the help of Papalymo’s fire and Urianger’s spells, the other ranged attackers fell, giving Carine plenty of one on one combat with the rogue and pugilist currently struggling to their feet. 

“Think that’s the last of them?” Carine asked, glancing through the open door.

“I would think ‘tis most likely not,” Papalymo replied, hurrying to untie Minfilia’s hands. “But best to make haste while no one is around.”

The others nodded and followed behind Carine, closing the door to the holding cell behind them to keep anyone from noticing the bodies within. It seemed that whatever Cid had chosen to use as a distraction had worked in their favor, because the streets were still mostly barren save very few guards that offered little opposition.

Just when they thought they had found their way out, the row of steel gates slammed closed along the road. Neither Papalymo or Urianger’s spells seemed to work against the barriers, and Carine worried that using her blessing would alert the Garleans to who she truly was. 

“Well well, if it isn’t a little rescue mission,” some soldier said as he stepped from a side passage to block them from freedom. “‘Fraid I’m gonna have to cancel that. No hard feelin’s.”

Several more soldiers stepped out behind him, followed by a magitek Vanguard machine. It easily stood over twelve fulms tall and was equipped with two arm cannons that were now directly pointed at their small party.

Before she could come up with some witty remark, Urianger cast a sleep spell over one of the guards, knocking him to the ground while Papalymo unleashed a fireball that swept over the attackers, setting their robes aflame and inducing panic. The soothing feel of the protection spell washed over Carine. As she no longer need to worry about the fire, she jumped into the fray making short work of the opposition before turning her attention to the Vanguard. While it was focused on Urianger, Carine was able to leap onto one of its arms and jam her dagger into the system, making the cannon unable to work before scurrying to its back and disarming the entire thing. Which was a lot harder to do when the operator of the thing was swinging it around and around in an attempt to throw her off. 

One last final thrust destroyed the operating system of the entire Vanguard, shutting it down for good. The only thing left to do was to figure out how to open the gates. 

“Cid? Any advice on hacking the system?” Carine asked, looking at the magitek panel in front of her. She already tried using the key card she had been given in Castrum Meridianum, but it appeared that it was castrum specific.

_ “Hacking the-what?” _ Cid asked, the exasperation in his voice evident. 

“I found Minfilia and the others and now we are trapped in some sort of force field...hold on a moment.” She was forced to put their Garlean engineer on hold while more soldiers filed in to try and capture them, followed by another two Vanguards. Another fight ensued until Carine and the Scions had disposed of them as they had all the others so far. “Sorry about that, I have the feeling they will just keep coming if we can’t get these damn doors open.”

_ “Hells, just find a generator. No bigger than a Lalafell. If memory serves right, there is always a fail safe located somewhere within the barrier. Look in dark corners, they aren’t always near the edge of the perimeter,” _ he explained to her. 

Carine relayed the information to the others, and together they began a search while Minfilia and Tataru found a safe spot to hide for the time being. Papalymo was the first to discover the device, and between the three of them, it was obliterated in a matter of minutes. Just as Cid had said, the magitek shield that had formed over them soon dissipated and the steel doors opened to reveal a squadron of Garlean soldiers behind them. 

They fled as fast as their feet would carry them, knowing that any fight with that many enemies would be futile with their current numbers. Just as Carine was beginning to think having a bow around wouldn’t have been such a bad idea, she ran straight into Urianger’s back, nearly toppling both of them over in the process. 

“Art thou sure this was the way to freedom?” He asked, looking down below. Carine followed his steady gaze to a sea of fog billowing nearly a hundred fulms below them, obscuring the bottom from view. 

“Er- I suppose now might be the time to mention I have no idea where we are or where we were going? This  _ seemed _ like the right way…” she stuttered, avoiding all eyes as they turned to her. 

“It matters not. Ready yourselves,” Minfilia ordered, directing everyone’s attention to the semi-circle of soldiers now advancing upon them. 

Carine cursed herself for leading them the wrong way, afraid that she had now single-handedly doomed them all to an unfortunate death as the first wave of enemies raised their weapons to attack. Urianger and Papalymo prepared for the assault, their counter strike lead by the Warrior of Light as she rushed towards the Garleans with her lance in hand. She struck the shaft into the ground and vaulted herself over their line of defense to attack them from the rear while the other two cast spell after spell to disarm or disorient their foes. Try as they might, their numbers were no match for the Garleans, who seemed to be multiplying for each one that fell. 

The Elezen turned and watched in slow motion as one soldier broke past both of her casters making a straight line for Minfilia. As quick as her blades were, as skilled as she was, Carine’s gift could not count for the sheer number of enemies she was facing as she struggled to reach the leader of the Scions before the soldier did. She could only watch in horror as the man aimed his gunblade and fired.

But the bullet never hit its mark.

As quickly as he had been able to shoot at the antecedent, it seemed that Y’shtola had been able to come from nowhere. She had somehow been able to place herself between Minfilia and the shooter, using her white magic to protect them both from the bullet just in time. Carine was so relieved to see them both safe that she didn’t see the soldier raise his blade behind her, ready to strike, until he fell down beside her with his face crushed in. She turned in surprise to see Yda there, her brass knuckles already bloodied from battle.

“Glad to see we weren’t late!” she called out cheerfully, giving a wave to Papalymo.

“Took you long enough!” the Lalafell called back, hurdling a fireball at a soldier behind her.

“Is it so hard to just say ‘good to see you Yda’?” she grumbled to herself as she rushed past Carine to work her fists into yet another enemy. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know a way out, would you?” Minfilia asked, her blue eyes scanning around nervously as she pulled Tataru closer to her leg. 

“Aye,” Y’shtola nodded. “Wait for Cid’s signal.”

Carine sliced a few more necks with her blades, saturating the ground with more blood as she looked to the Miqo’te with a frown. “And just what is his signal?”

_ “Lass? Can you hear me?” _ Cid’s voice called out through the linkpearl. 

She smirked a bit to herself at the irony. “Aye, I can hear you. Is this the signal?” she asked, working her way back to the rest of the Scions as best she could.

_ “Yes. Count to five and jump.” _

Her eyes went wide as she looked back towards the ravine, knowing damn well if she looked over the edge she would only see the rolling mist below and no hope of seeing the bottom. Still, Cid hadn’t yet lead her wrong and her chances of somehow landing safely seemed to be higher than staying on this cliff at the moment. 

“With me!” she yelled, running towards the edge. 

_ One, two, three… _ she counted, holding her breath and closing her eyes before leaping from the edge as she reached five. Carine let out a shrill scream as weightlessness tickled her stomach, pulling at her navel until she landed with a hard  _ thump _ on a wooden platform. As her bravery caught up, she peeked through her eyelids to see that she was on board Cid’s  _ Enterprise, _ and just in time to roll out of the way from everyone else falling from above.

“Everyone alright?” Cid asked with a wide smile, pulling the airship up and out of reach of the gunblades firing at them. Though most everyone seemed shaken from taking the leap of faith, they all nodded and smiled back. Yda wasted no time hugging Minfilia and even the ever sour Papalymo, glad to see them both safe while Y’shtola looked over Tataru and Urianger to make sure they were unharmed. 

“Good to see you still have your wits about you, Warrior,” young Alphinaud said as he approached Carine. “I had hoped that my diversion would have been enough to help you achieve your goal. Glad am I to see it did.”

“That was you?” she asked, honestly surprised. 

“Do you think me incapable of combat?” he arched a white brow, the deep blue of his eyes almost mocking her. 

“It’s just, you seem so  _ young, _ ” she admitted sheepishly before apologizing. 

Alphinaud grinned, chuckling into his hand. “‘Tis fine, Carine. I am no warrior, but I like to believe myself capable of holding my own long enough to create a diversion.”

Suddenly a green light flashed, nearly scorching the side of the airship and making Cid quickly pull to the side. It was all the Scions could to to grasp onto the sides, holding on for dear life until the ship was back into an upright position. Carine felt the meager contents of her stomach roll with the movement, threatening to bring up whatever was in her system. From the look of everyone else’s faces, she wasn’t the only one. 

“What in the Seven Hells…” Cid cursed, looking over the front of the ship to the ground below. Everyone followed his gaze, gasping in shock as they beheld the Ultima Weapon for the first time. Carine turned away, unable to look at the machinery, her hands clenching into fists at her side at knowing what it meant to her. The possibility of the end of her family and loved ones. The possibility of being the end of her own life. The definite reason she had to leave Nero. 

“Ultima,” she whispered. 

“I thought you said they had it stashed away in the Praetorium?” Cid asked, looking to her with a worried expression. 

She nodded. “It was. I was there last night. I don’t know when or how they moved it here, nor do I know why. I-I left before anything was mentioned... _ if _ anything was mentioned.

“Is that...is that an Ascian?” Alphinaud exclaimed, pointing to a hooded figure standing next to Gaius van Baelsar on the terminal. 

“Not just an Ascian,” Minfilia said, her voice wavering. “An overlord. Lahabrea.”

Carine didn’t have time to question how the Hyur knew who or what that man was as Ultima fired another stream of green energy in their direction. 

“Damn you, Gaius,” Cid said as he gripped the steering mechanism of his ship, somehow dodging the attack. Carine grabbed onto one of the middle posts, praying to whoever would listen that she wouldn’t throw up onto the deck of his ship as her stomach rolled dangerously. She could feel the engineer pull up to get out of range, silently thanking him as she clung to her post. Oh what a sight she must have been to her fellows; their great defender brought low by Cid’s clever aerial maneuvering. 

“No!” Minfilia cried out. “Oh Thancred, no!”

Reluctantly, Carine walked with shaky legs to the edge of the  _ Enterprise _ and looked over to see the man both Alphinaud and Minfilia had claimed to be an Ascian had removed his hood and revealed himself to be their trusted friend. She could hardly believe it to be true, surely that wasn’t  _ really _ Thancred below, working hand in hand with the Garleans? The very same man that had spent days teaching her how to wield her daggers and use stealth attacks? 

And how was it that he hadn’t revealed to Gaius that she was the Warrior of Light?

What if he  _ had? _ It seemed unlikely when she considered the way Nero had treated her, even till this morning. For a man obsessed with power and control, Carine was positive he would have used her as a means to one of his ends, whatever that might’ve been. But then again, Gaius  _ had _ been the one to request using that strange bit of magitek on her to test her aetherical energy. For him to have done that, he would have had to be suspicious of her, right? And Thancred  _ had _ been there when she defeated Ifrit. 

Alphinaud punched the center mass as Cid flew them away from Castrum Centri. “How could I have been so  _ blind? _ ” he chastised himself. “To think that an Ascian was in our midsts, walking among us without us  _ knowing… _ ”

Carine sank down, thankful that the airship was steady (as was her stomach), and watched him pace along the railing. “He knew everything! ‘Tis little wonder how they found us so easily! And to think, I blamed  _ you, _ ” the younger Elezen went on, pointing at her. “How could I even hope to ask your forgiveness?”

“To be quite fair, Alphinaud, I wasn’t entirely sure it  _ wasn’t _ my fault. It seemed as likely as anything else,” she reassured him. “We all knew I had that tracker on me…” 

At once her heart ached as her fingers unconsciously felt for the ring where it was no longer. Oh, it was a relief to know they wouldn’t be followed this time, but just the thought of what Nero might think when he came home to see her ring on the counter hurt. She knew better than to think he would be bothered, but there was a piece of her that hoped he would feel something…

“What do we do now?” Tataru asked, looking over at Minfilia who was rummaging around a compartment on Cid’s ship. 

“We go to the Alliance,” the Highlander replied as she found what she had been looking for. Carine watched as she took the linkpearl, no doubt one of many Cid had stashed on his ship that had been taken from the Waking Sands, and pressed it to her ear. 

Alphinaud shook his head in disagreement. “I am not sure that would be in our favor. I attempted to reach them after the attack on the Waking Sands, but they thought you captured or dead,” he explained. 

“Which I am neither. Besides, the Warrior of Light was still quite capable of taking care of any matters left unfinished,” Minfilia smiled in her direction. 

Bile formed in her mouth at the thought of taking on that particular responsibility had this not worked out so well. It was clear they knew nothing about how close she had been to being content with staying with Nero in his apartment, and they didn’t need to now. Carine was a warrior, a pawn in the grand scheme of things, not a leader, no matter what they thought. 

“I told them as much, but with her ties to the Empire, you can imagine the distrust they have in her,” the younger Elezen sighed. “After all you have done, defeated each eikon as they rose, protecting  _ their _ people from the wrath of the Primals and still they find reason to doubt your allegiance.”

_ Considering I hadn’t truly chosen a side until last night, I’d say they had reason, _ Carine thought to herself, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.

“Then we go to them. Reunited thanks to the Warrior of Light’s dedication to our cause,” Minfilia stated, looking to Cid before giving him a nod. “It seems I have some calls to make.”


	18. Swaying Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Carine had left him. Just like everyone else. <.I>_
> 
> __“Darling, the fact that this is so hard for you means that you saw something within him worth caring for."_ _
> 
> _(honestly this chapter doesn't have much to do with these quotes...I just love them so much xD)_

Nero knew she was gone long before he entered the apartment. 

Somewhere between his lab in the Praetorium and the tower where he lived, he had shut off the communications device in his ear to avoid listening to Gaius yelling at him, or Livia cursing him for what his  _ wife _ had done. It was difficult to imagine that she was really capable of escaping Castrum Meridianum to Castrum Centri...and even more difficult to imagine that she would have even known her friends had been moved there just that morning, but he couldn’t help but admire her tenacity if their accusations rang true. 

But the cold, desolate apartment only confirmed their ranting and raving. Carine was gone. 

He supposed it should have been a relief. On the bright side, he didn’t have to worry about the inevitable cold shoulder she would have given him this evening had she decided to stay. She was still convinced that he wanted to kill every Eorzean simply for existing. It wasn’t true, not by any means. So long as they submitted to the rule of the Emperor, there was no need for anyone to die. Sad that she couldn’t see it that way.

There was also the fact that he had his entire space to himself. Her room would make a much better work station for him to keep all of his carefully crafted projects, freeing up more space within his own. And she wasn’t likely to ruin anymore of his books with coffee stains…

At the thought of coffee, his eyes immediately lifted towards the kitchen. Quickly he went to the cabinets, heart fluttering in his chest until he laid eyes on the half sack of those delicious coffee beans that she had gathered for him. At least she had been kind enough to leave those behind. He wasn’t sure if he would have been able to go back to the shit he had been drinking before, if he were being honest. 

With a sigh of relief, Nero turned and leaned against the counter, pulling his shades from his face and setting them down to rub his eyes. That was when he saw the small glint of an object on the bar. Her ring. 

He picked up the little circle, turning it over in his hands as rage began to bubble inside him. He gritted his teeth, curling his fingers around it and gave it a squeeze before hurdling it across the room. A lamp shattered as the ring made contact, but he didn’t care. She was gone. She wasn’t coming back.

Carine had left him. Just like everyone else.

 

***

 

“Nero. You’re late,” Gaius van Baelsar said as Nero entered the room, gracing everyone with his presence. “You did not answer my summons. Explain.”

The Tribune didn’t bother to answer him right away, instead he chose to take his time walking to his seat at the right hand of the Legatus. He made sure to make eye contact with each other Tribune,  _ especially _ Livia, and even the Ascian that Gaius seemed like keeping as a pet. 

“It has been a rough day, as I am sure you can relate,” he smiled, flashing his teeth as he took his seat. “I heard the Scions had escaped.”

“With the help of your bloody bride!” Livia stood, slamming her fists on the table. 

Nero curled his lips into another smile as he crossed his legs and leaned back. “Funny how this is  _ my _ fault when it was  _ you _ that was stationed in Castrum Centri. I can hardly be held accountable for Ca-the  _ savage’s _ actions while I was hard at work preparing for our eventual takeover.”

The woman looked as though she were nearly ready to burst, making it so easy for him to imagine her face turning as red as Dalamud itself beneath her helm as she struggled to sort past her rage to form a coherent sentence. 

“How is it that she managed to leave your apartment and wind up all the way in Centri?” Gaius asked, turning to face his subordinate. 

Nero shrugged. “Wives of Garleans are given mostly free reign of the castrum after a certain period. How she got there...well…” with a snap of his fingers, two Garlean soldiers marched in with a struggling Midlander between them, fighting for all he was worth. 

“It appears that she had some help.”

He waited patiently, pleased by the silence that filled the room upon the arrival of his little prisoner. How quickly his peers were to shift the blame from themselves when all it took was a little digging to discover whose key card his little wench had used to go into the prison cells in Meridianum. Of course he couldn’t have expected Livia or Rhitahtyn to use a modicum of brain power between them, but it was a surprise that Gaius himself hadn’t considered it.

_ Too busy listening to the Ascian whispering in his ear, I would assume, _ he thought to himself, watching as the Midlander cowered in the shadow of the Legatus before him. 

“You can’t win. You won’t. Not so long as the Scions are free and their Warrior of Light is at their side,” the Midlander spat despite shaking in fear. 

“Foolish savage,” Gaius said, reaching out and grasping the man by his neck, lifting him from the ground. The Hyur struggled against him, fingertips shredding against the metal armor of the Garlean choking the life from him. “You place too much confidence in them. How could they possibly hope to defeat me? To defeat Ultima?”

Nero turned his attention to Livia sitting across from him, smiling at her pleasantly. “So, how  _ did _ the Scions of the Seventh Dawn manage to escape your grasp, my dear?” he asked as the lifeless body of the Midlander hit the floor. He could feel her scorn from across the table, but she did not reply. He had outplayed her. Again. One day she would learn her place. 

“Scaeva,” Gaius took a handkerchief from one of the guards, wiping the blood from his gauntlet as he turned his attention to his second in command. 

“Yes, my lord?” Nero replied, standing straight and proud.

“Prepare for war.”

 

***

 

Carine paced just outside of the Royal Promenade as she waited impatiently for the others to arrive. Her mother stood with her, her worried eyes following her daughter’s path. 

It had just been over a day since Carine had helped the Scions escape their prison, but every minute they weren’t preparing for the inevitable invasion was wasted in her eyes. As soon as the Scions had landed in Gridania (per her request to retrieve her mother), they had split in several directions to inform the leaders of Eorzea of the weapon the Garleans now had in their possession. 

Y’shtola had immediately departed for Limsa Lominsa while Minfilia had gone to Ul’dah herself. Carine, Yda and Papalymo had opted to stay behind in Gridania and speak to Kan-E-Senna while Alphinaud traveled to Coerthas in an attempt to send word to the Holy-See of Ishgard. All of them had promised to unite Ul’dah to meet with the Sultana and devise a plan.

But naturally, they were all very late. 

“Carine, sit down,” he mother ordered her, scooting on the bench to give her room. 

“I can’t...they should have been here by now,” came her reply and she turned to give her a look. “What if Gaius has already made his move? What if we are too late to even be put on the defensive? I-I need to go. I need to  _ do _ something…”

“And just what are you going to do that will turn the tides in our favor?” Elaine asked, giving her daughter a knowing smile as she motioned for her to sit. “Tell me, darling, are you so anxious because of the Garleans? Or anxious because you will most likely be facing Nero?”

Carine paused, heart throbbing at the mention of his name. Reluctantly she plopped down on the stoney bench with a heavy sigh, staring down at the rich reds and golds of the carpet beneath them. “Can’t it be both?”

Of course she was nervous about the upcoming fight ahead. There weren’t enough words to explain the monstrosity that was Ultima to her mother. The Elezen wasn’t even sure how she was supposed to be able to defeat the thing when it had taken all her strength and wit to defeat two of the three Primals it had consumed, but there was little doubt in her mind it would be her job to shut it down. 

The problem with that plan was that Nero would certainly be lurking nearby, ready to strike down anyone that dare attempt to destroy his precious creation, or refurbishment, or whatever it was to him. How many times had the others asked if she was up to  _ that _ particular battle? Carine had lost count. At this point, her answer had become automatic, hollow, devoid of confidence that she could, in fact, kill a man that she had come to care about. 

A man whose only sin against her was making that damn machine work to take over her homeland. 

“Of course it can, darling,” her mother said, pulling her in for a hug. She couldn’t help but submit, inhaling the sweet, calming scent of lavender that clung to her mother’s clothes and skin and hair. “I doubt anyone expects this to be easy for you. I know I certainly do not envy your position.”

“But Mama...he’s going to help kill hundreds of us, maybe thousands before all of this is said and done,” she fought the tears threatening to fall, the ones she wouldn’t allow to fall over him. “It shouldn’t be this hard. I shouldn’t care about what happens to him. Not when he doesn’t care about what could happen to me or everyone else I care about.”

Elaine held her close, gently rubbing her back to soothe her. When Carine had gained more control of herself, her mother pushed her back to look her in the eyes. “Darling, the fact that this is so hard for you means that you saw something within him worth caring for,” she said, tucking a silvery white strand behind her ear. 

“Sorry to disappoint you…” Carine muttered, pulling away from her embrace and looking back at the floor. “I should have been stronger. Should have known better. Should have-”

“Bird shit,” Elaine scolded. “I couldn’t be more proud of you than I am right now. You could have given up like so many others and remained behind those castrum walls, but you didn’t. You returned to me, gave me hope when I thought I had lost it all. You could have turned down the Scions offer, or worked hand in hand with the Garleans, but you  _ chose _ to fight for them. Don’t look at me like that, I know you kept as neutral as possible, but you  _ chose  _ to free them and now you are  _ choosing _ to put aside your feelings for a man that you care for because otherwise everything else you would have chosen for yourself would have been for naught.

“I could care less that you came to feel something for Nero. Out of everything you have done, that is the  _ only _ choice you didn’t actively make and it doesn’t sway my pride in you in any way.”

By the time Elaine had pulled her in for another crushing hug, Carine was in tears. Not because of the conflict raging in her heart, but because of the love and devotion her mother poured out for her that she desperately needed. 

“Thank you, Mama,” she sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. 

“I love you, darling. Never forget that. And I will  _ always _ root for you,” she smiled in return, kissing her forehead and wiping the tears from her daughter’s cheeks.

“Ah! You have already arrived. Good,” Minfilia said, descending the grand staircase before them. “The Sultana and Raubahn are already within. I just received word from Y’shtola and Alphinaud. Both are on their way now. Care to follow me?”

Carine looked at her mother, who gave an encouraging smile and promised to wait until their business had been concluded before following the Highlander. Two guards at the end of the hall opened the large doors that were the entrance to the Royal Promenade, their eyes following both women until they had passed through. 

The room was quite large, and from what the Warrior of Light knew, it had been the host to many grand balls hosted by the Syndicate. Tall ceilings loomed overhead with metal chandeliers hanging low enough to light the grand table where the Sultana herself was sitting. The Lalafell smiled sweetly, welcoming the two into the chamber with Raubahn at her side. 

“‘Tis good to see you yet live, Warrior,” his rumbling voice echoed as he welcomed her. 

“My thanks in allowing me to participate in this discussion,” she nodded, taking the seat Minfilia indicated her to have. 

“I find there are few more qualified than you to tell us what Van Baelsar and his cronies are capable of,” he agreed. She was thankful that he didn’t seem bothered by how she came about her knowledge, but rather he almost seemed relieved. 

Y’shtola and Admiral Merlwyb were the next to enter the chamber, though the Miqo’te did not linger long. 

The Roegadyn woman marched to her designated seat, placing her hands at its back and scanned the room. Carine found her intimidating, standing easily two heads taller than the Elezen and looking every bit as powerful and capable of combat as Raubahn himself. She stood straight and tall, white hair slicked back and chin held high in pride that Carine could only dream of matching. 

“The Maelstrom is ready, should she be needed,” she announced, her accent thick and commanding. The voice of a leader. Raubahn acknowledged her with a firm nod, motioning for her to sit as they waited for their other guests. 

Kan-E-Senna was the next to arrive with a member of the God’s Quiver and Wood Wailers at each side. She was the smallest of the leaders, if one didn’t count Nanamo Ul Namo among them. She was also the quieter, gentler looking compared to the other two, walking with grace as she smiled at them all. 

“Has there been no word from Ishgard?” she asked, looking around the room as if she would find someone she had missed. 

“Sorry I’m late, my friends,” Alphinaud strolled into the chamber with a grim expression. “I was unable to convince the Coerthans to allow me through their gates to speak with the Holy-See. Pray, forgive me.” 

“Bloody Ishgardians. Dragons have their tongues,” Raubahn growled, his large hand fisting at his side. 

Kan-E-Senna lowered her head, shaking it sadly. “Silent to the last. I was unwise to hope.”

Merlwyb slammed her fist on the table, leaving a crumpled parchment in its place. “What would stir the archbishop to open his holy mouth, if not this?” she exclaimed, pointing to the missive. “And he claims the Fury for his god. Oh what irony!”

Carine hadn’t seen the missive since it had been delivered to each of the leaders. The Scions had been too busy trying to alert them themselves. She reached for the paper, eyes skimming carefully over the words written in Gaius’ distinct script. 

As she read through his demands, her eyes grew wider and wider in horror until she had no choice but to put the scroll down. He had all but admitted to proposing war against them, so long as they handed over the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and the Warrior of Light for their direct opposition to the “peace” Garlemald and Eorzea had. He had also named herself to be brought in as a prisoner so that they could try her as a citizen of the Empire for her crimes against them.

The only comfort she seemed to have was that it appeared that Gaius still did not know she was the Warrior of Light, or was at least unsure enough to list her name separately.

But  _ they _ did. Carine felt their eyes on her the moment she put the parchment back on the table and did her best to ignore the nausea rumbling within her stomach. Gaius had given them an ultimatum, one likely they would have a hard time refusing. Turn over a handful of fugitives, or save their people pain and suffering at the hands of the Empire? Seemed reasonable enough, especially considering everything he stated that Ultima could do should they refuse his demands. 

“We aren’t...considering this, are we?” she dared to ask, her voice wavering as she looked at each one. 

“Of course we aren’t-” Raubahn began.

“Van Baelsar’s demands are clear,” Merlwyb interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the Warrior of Light. 

“And yet your minds are not,” Minfilia stated, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at them all. 

Raubahn shook his head and rubbed at his temple as he picked up his own scroll and looked through it. “I have never been one to shy away from a fight, but this weapon of theirs,” he sighed. “Can it really do all he claims it can?” He directed his question to Carine. 

“I’m afraid it can. And more, possibly,” she admitted, hating the way Merlwyb’s eyes glared at her in accusation. As if all of this were her fault. 

Kan-E-Senna had been remarkably quiet throughout the exchange, turning her green eyes to either Elezen at her side before looking at her hands. “It has been five years since the Calamity. Five years since this treaty came into effect. Our people have barely begun to piece their lives back together,” she said before looking at Carine apologetically. “How could we, in good conscious, ask them to give up what little they have and lay down their lives for us once again? I am sorry, Carine. Truly I am, but I would spare them from this conflict. As would you, if you were in my position.”

Carine’s mouth opened in disbelief at the woman’s words, her mind not wanting to accept that the one person she trusted to believe in her would be the first to turn against her. “I-I don’t understand…”

“The Garleans were not swayed from the combined strength of three Primals, and now they possess their power with the intent to turn it against us. We, who have struggled within our own borders against the eikons. What meaningful resistance can we truly offer?” Kan-E-Senna explained, lips trembling. She didn’t like it anymore than Carine did, but what she suggested was giving in. 

“Long have we suffered at the hands of the primals, and at no small cost. Yet they rise again and again. I grow weary of the constant struggle,” Merlwyb nodded, adding her input with the Gridanian leader’s. “Mistake me not. I do not wish to trade one tyranny for another, but conciliation need not equate oppression.”

Carine could hardly believe her ears. By the look on Minfilia’s face, she too was in shock at their words. They had all but decided to agree to Gaius’ demands, submitting to him without any resistance. She struggled to find words, her mind torn between running for the door lest they seize her now or demanding them to come up with a plan together that would bring the Empire to its knees. 

“By the Twelve!” Raubahn cursed, looking between the two women in anger and disappointment. “Though neither of you cried ‘surrender’, your every word spake it for you.”

Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to the dark skinned Highlander as he shook his head. “I will not deny the truth to your words, nor could I rightly proclaim Ul’dah ready and fit for a fight against the Garleans. Hells, I have refugees flooding the gates and beastmen rampaging through Thanalan at a rate my Flames cannot hope to keep up, but would we not be here if it weren’t for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and their Warrior of Light lifting the burden of the Primals from our backs?”

He turned to her, offering a nod of reassurance that she had at least one trusted friend among them. The silence and the shame that now clouded the other leader’s faces lifted her spirits that mayhap they would change their minds. 

“The enemy condemns us for failing our people,” Nanamo Ul Namo finally spoke, her high, bell-like voice chiming in the midst of the silence that followed Raubahn’s question. “Yet what does he truly care of their well being? While we have labored and slaved to help rebuild their lives, Van Baelsar has spent his time building instruments of murder in which to end them.”

“And yet there is still want for surrender,” Alphinaud ‘tsked from his post. “I thought it was not the Eorzean way?”

Merlwyb shook her head and turned in the direction of the young Elezen, holding his gaze as she replied. “Until yesterday, we believed you to be dead and gone, the survivors spread as far as the wind could carry them. Even with your aid, our plight with Garlemald is dire. The treaty is void until we can find a way to appease him…”

“To do so would be folly,” Carine stood, slamming her fists down on the table and bringing all attention to her. She didn’t care. All of this talk of surrender and false peace was enough to drive her mad. “If you think that the threat of Primals would end with the occupation of Garlemald within our borders, then I beg of you to reconsider. The beastmen are wont to call to a higher power in the face of desperation and nothing breeds desperation like the threat the Garleans possess with Ultima.”

Alphinaud nodded, taking his place at her side as he looked to each of the leaders in turn. “A true answer would be everlasting peace. You know that this treaty of theirs was nothing more than a bandage for the wounds they have inflicted time and time again, yet you yearn to surrender and give in,” he added. “Garleans only know war and conquest, my friends. There is no true peace with them so long as they remain.”

“Do not think us unsympathetic to your struggles. We are not blind to the challenges you face in protecting your people, but I implore you not to give in. Not when there is still hope.”

“And what, pray tell, is that hope?” Merlwyb shook her head, glancing back at Carine. “Forgive me if I find it difficult to trust someone who lived and slept with the enemy for so long.”

Waves of anger flowed through Carine as she glared at the Admiral, forgetting how intimidated she had been by the woman before. “Aye,” she said through gritted teeth, walking around the table to better face her. “I lived with the enemy. I slept in his bed and made him coffee every morning. I dared even to  _ care _ for the man I was forced to marry, yet here I am standing before you with the Scions at my side because  _ you needed them. _ Eorzea needed them.”

She turned to the others, catching Raubahn’s supportive gaze. “I will not deny my hesitation in this role. I was there five years ago during the Calamity, fighting under the yellow banner of the Twin Adders with my fellow Gridanians. I watched, first hand, the destruction a Primal wrought upon the battlefield,” she told him, looking now to Kan-E-Senna. “And when I was faced with Ifrit, Lord of the Inferno, rather than run and make it someone else’s problem I stood there and fought with every bit of strength I possessed to save a little girl I did not know.

“If anyone in this room understands your fear, it is I,” she went on, looking now to the Admiral once again. “I fought and defeated Ifrit and then Titan. Had the Scions not been captured and compromised, I can assure you I would have battled Garuda as well. And yet I had the strength and the  _ courage _ to return to the Garleans every. Single. Night,” she punctuated each word with her finger to her palm before continuing. “Hiding a secret that they surely would have used against you if they had known. So remind me again why it is I who shouldn’t be trusted when  _ you _ were the one ready to surrender at the barest mention of a fight?”

Carine did not turn her eyes from the Roegadyn. She would not submit or give any reason for the woman to doubt her words or her dedication to their cause. She couldn’t afford to, not with her life and, consequently, the lives of all Eorzeans on the line.

“Your words stir and shame me in equal measure,” Kan-e-Senna said, bringing Carine’s attention to her. “How could I contemplate surrender when I know full well that all we have now, we owe to you and your sacrifices we can scarce begin to understand?”

She stood now, slamming her staff into the stoney floor with determination as she looked at Minfilia. “We Gridanians have no love for war, Carine can bear testament to that, but still we have less for those that threaten our homeland. Ever have we fought for the things we hold dear and I shall not be the first to stray from that,” she turned to the Warrior of Light then and smiled warmly. “Gridania shall go to war. We shall stand strong against the Empire and fight for our realm and all those that abide within.”

Pride and relief overwhelmed the Elezen as she returned the smile of her leader, resisting the urge to hug her tight and thank her profusely for her support, however surprising it had been. Even Merlwyb seemed to be shocked silent at the Gridanian’s words, her mouth hanging open in awe as she looked at her with newfound respect.

High, joyous laughter broke up the stunned silence in the room as Nanamo Ul Namo stood up in her chair and clapped, eyes twinkling as she nodded in approval. “Finally!” she exclaimed, looking to Kan-E-Senna with pride. “At long last I hear words worthy of a founder of the Alliance.” She turned then to her trusted guard. “Are we to be outdone, Raubahn?”

He smiled at her, shaking his head ever so slightly before turning to Minfilia and Alphinaud. “I have lost a homeland once. I would not lose another,” he said. “No man knows better than I that if you want something, you ought to be willing to die for it.” The Highlander looked to Carine then, his dark eyes shining in appreciation. “How many times have we counted on you to pluck us from despair? I fear I have lost count. Ul’dah shall lend you her blades and fight with the same passion and ferocity we did five years ago.”

Minfilia and Alphinaud both clapped their hands together, bright and hopeful smiles on their faces as they looked to Carine. She couldn’t help but grin back as victory seemed close at hand. It seemed everyone held a similar thought as their joy died on their lips, waiting with bated breath to listen to whatever the Admiral had to say for herself and her people.

She held her chin in her hand with her eyes closed as she shook her head. “Reckless, the lot of you,” she said, the corners of her lips curling ever so slightly before looking at the leader of the Scions. “Just like pirates, I tell you. Well, I won’t waste my breath trying to talk you ‘round. Aye, don’t look at me like that! I am a pirate myself, and any pirate that shirks from a challenge is no pirate at all.”

Merlwyb stared at Carine, acknowledging her as an equal with a firm nod. “Let the Garleans come. They shall find the full strength of the Maelstrom awaiting them!”

The room erupted into applause at her words, glad to see that the Alliance was still intact and of one mind. Carine found a chair and sank into it, her legs and hands shaking far too much to continue standing as the adrenaline left her body. Politics and swaying the minds of leaders was not her forte, but glad was she to be capable of doing so. 

“Remind me to never do that again,” she said as Minfilia took to her side. Together, they watched as a brazier was lit and the demands of the Empire cast into the flames. 

“You did well, but I fear only the worst is yet to come,” the Hyur furrowed her brow. “They believe in you. All of Eorzea does, including myself. I must ask, do you?”

The Elezen thought for a moment, scanning the room and seeing each member of the Alliance talking with each other while young Alphinaud demanded to make his presence known. They were already planning and plotting, devising the best strategy that would hopefully lead them all to victory. A plan that, as Minfilia had stated, largely relied on Carine to see it done. 

After everything she had endured, from separated from her little sister and being forced into a marriage with Nero, to searching for the Scions and joining their ranks, to facing not one, but two Primals head on, she had yet to back down from a challenge. No matter how hard they were, she had endured. And now? Though her heart throbbed at the thought that she would have to fight Nero and most likely kill him to achieve her goal, she knew it must be done for the sake of the people that trusted her to see them through. It must be done if she were to free the other brides from their prison. It must be done if she were to lay eyes on Violaine once again.

She turned to her leader then, the woman that trusted her when no one else would have and the one that taught her about the Echo and explained her gifts to her when no one else could, and nodded with confidence and determination.

“I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys...omg the anxiety is very real with me. I'm getting so close to writing this reveal that every time I open my laptop, I'm shaking xD
> 
> I'm excited though! It's coming up pretty soon ^^


	19. Operation Archon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“For fifteen years he has labored and toiled to save your people and still his desire burns as hot as ever. Do you know why this is?”  
>  “Because he’s a sore loser?”_

 

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn waited in the hall of the Royal Promenade as the Eorzean Alliance leaders and Alphinaud devised a plan that would surely put them on the path to victory. It had taken some convincing on Alphinaud’s part, and high praise on Minfilia’s, before the young Elezen was allowed in on the council. Meanwhile, the antecedent organized the Scions to prepare for whatever the leaders would dream up, sending them out to speak with a fair many Free Company to see if any would lend themselves to their cause. 

Carine was forced into staying within the capital of Thanalan, stuck in the palace itself due to the bounty on her head. While it seemed that Gaius had already pulled many of his soldiers from their positions within Eorzea, there were still a good many that had stayed behind to see if they could pay off the citizens for the capture of their foes. With the threat of war so close at hand, Minfilia and the others deemed it unwise for Carine or her mother to leave.

And so they played the waiting game. 

The Warrior of Light had been lightly sleeping, propped up against the wall in a dark corner she had found when Minfilia had woken her to join everyone within the council room. Anxiety coursed through her veins, speeding up her heart as she passed through the large double doors and approached the table where the Alliance leaders stood in a loose semi-circle. This was it. There would be no going back now, no running, no hiding. Once she knew these plans, Carine would see them through to the end. Whether that end lay in their victory, or their defeat, she would be there to see its conclusion.

Unless, of course, she died first. 

She was surprised to see Cid among them, leaning over the table as his grey eyes skimmed the map below. Taking her place beside him, Carine looked down in hopes of seeing what their plan entailed. Lines were drawn from one end to the other, crossing each other this way and that in a tangled mess that she couldn’t begin to even hope deciphering. Yet another reminder that she was the brawn, not the brains of the operation. 

“Think we can win this?” she asked, looking over at the Garlean who was scratching at his white beard. 

“Best let them tell us what all of this means, but the way I see it? We might stand a chance,” Cid replied, his smile warm and reassuring. 

Carine let out a sigh of relief at his words. If anyone knew how the Garleans worked and would react to their plan, it would have been the engineer before her. If he had any faith that there was a chance...that was more than enough to spur hope within her.

“Are we all present?” Minfilia asked, counting each person as they turned to nod. “Good. Alphinaud? Would you care to explain the plan?”

The young Elezen smiled widely, eyes sparkling with joy at the recognition and responsibility passed to him. Delighted, he ushered those that had not been in on its construction, pointing as he informed them of the intricacies of the operation.

“This promises to be the largest single counteroffensive in the realm’s history,” he began, quite proudly. “The Alliance will be striking against every single imperial stronghold standing on Eorzean soil.”

Carine’s eyes widened, looking back at the map to count out each castrum located within their borders, unable to believe that they were even capable of such a feat. There were six castrums in total, each of them filled to the brim with soldiers and more weapons than one would dare count. She didn’t have to visit them all to know that, the two she had been in had shown her enough. 

“How complicated will this operation be, if I may ask?” Minfilia raised her eyes to the leaders. 

“Complicated,” Raubahn admitted. “But only from our perspective. ‘Tis enough everyone knows their part to play and do so to the best of their ability. Each of us will dispense more direct orders to our subordinates, who will go over the finer details with those within their ranks.”

_ Ok, not so bad then, _ Carine thought as she looked back at the map. She could handle being given orders. She could possibly even handle giving them out, in the event she be chosen to lead an affront on one of the six castrums. 

“The basis of the operation is to cripple Castrum Meridianum of all its resources, using Alliance forces to assault each castrum within their own borders. The ultimate goal is to tear down the shield around the Praetorium and destroy this weapon of theirs,” Alphinaud went on. “Isolating Castrum Meridianum from its sister strongholds will significantly decrease their chances of remaining impenetrable from our own forces, giving our main unit their best chance of breaching their defenses and powering down the shield.”

Merlwyb stepped forward this time, pointing towards Limsa Lominsa with one, long finger. “There will be four phases to our plan. The first is to eliminate Rhitahtyn sas Arvina, a trusted lieutenant of Van Baelsar’s. He is due to arrive at the imperial outpost in Cape Westwind for an inspection of their facilities. This is where you come in,” she explained, looking to Carine. “Your skill in battle is unmatched, and he a peerless field tactician. Eliminate him, and the stronghold of Castrum Occidens will be as a snake without its head.”

Carine nodded, swallowing hard at the thought of it. She didn’t know the man well, having only met him once and very briefly, but what she did know was that he was  _ huge. _ If she were to hope to defeat the Roegadyn in battle, one on one, she would need all the speed and dexterity Hydaelyn saw fit to bestow her. A lance would most likely be her best bet, and possibly her bow, if she could avoid his blows long enough, but daggers against the steel of his armor? Unlikely they would be of much use. 

“Once the praefectus is confirmed at the outpost, a unit of Maelstrom forces will lay siege to Castrum Occidens while I lead a force to create a blockade at Castrum Marinum. This phase will effectively cut Castrum Meridianum off from supplies and soldiers from the westernmost strongholds. So long as we can distract them long enough,” Merlwyb finished.

Next, Kan-E-Senna stepped forward and explained the Gridanian’s part in the operation. “With Castrum Oriens located in the Twelveswood, the Twin Adders and the Sylphs will work together to surround them and keep them from supplying and weapons or soldiers as well.”

“Aye. And phase three will see to bringing down Castrum Meridianum’s defenses whilst they are distracted by looking outward. All of my Flames will be there to form the main thrust, providing enough distraction to get some elite soldiers in to disable the magitek generator that protects that bloody Praetorium of theirs,” Raubahn stated. “Carine, this is where we would have you lead again, taking Cid with you to help in disabling the generator.”

Well, at least this time she wouldn’t be alone. The Elezen did wonder, however, how  _ elite _ a fighter Cid was. As long as she had known him, she hadn’t bore witness to his combat abilities, nor did she even remember him wielding any sort of weapon. Keeping both herself and him alive if he wasn’t an efficient fighter might pose a challenge, but perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad so long as there were other soldiers to lend them aid. 

“I hope you’re ready,” she said to him, trying her best to hide the anxiety in her voice. 

“Aye, I can hold my own against them, lass,” he winked and smiled. 

_ I suppose we will just have to wait and see about that, _ she thought, smirking a little to herself. “So does this part take place directly after the part where I fight Rhitahtyn?” Carine thought to ask before Alphinaud could open his mouth to explain the next phase. 

“More or less. I’ll come by to pick you up with the  _ Enterprise _ and set course for Castrum Meridianum. You’ll have maybe half a bell to a bell to get rested and healed before your next duty calls,” Cid told her. 

May not be a long time, but with the gift of magic from a skilled healer, Carine could see that being enough. She just hoped one stuck around to follow her through Castrum Meridianum’s defenses because there was a very good chance she wouldn’t be fighting one imperial general, but three.

“Ahem,” Alphinaud cleared his throat, ready to proceed. “Meanwhile, more Twin Adder forces accompanied by the Wood Wailers and God’s Quiver will seek to create a blockade of the railway that connects Centri to Meridianum. This may very well be one of the most important parts of phase three, let alone the entire operation, as that train could quite possibly carry an entire army from Centri to Meridianum in less than half a bell.”

“Thank the Twelve they hadn’t thought to make such a locomotive  _ fly, _ ” Cid muttered, scratching at his chin again. Carine was inclined to agree. 

“Aye,” Alphinaud nodded. “Once all supply lines and defenses are down for Van Baelsar’s stronghold, we enter the fourth, and final stage of the operation. So long as everyone has played their part, the Immortal Flames should be able to enter the castrum, commanding the attention of its forces and allowing Carine and whatever soldiers she picks up along the way to enter the Praetorium. There, it will be up to her to locate and destroy the Ultima Weapon.”

_ And Gaius, and Nero… _ she sighed. Carine knew it would come to this, she had already made up her mind. Whether she liked it or not, she had to do what must be done to rid herself and her fellows of oppression. Even if it meant destroying  _ him. _

“Make sure to rescue as many of the brides as you can,” Carine reminded them. “In the center of the castrum on the westside is a tower of living quarters for Garleans and their wives. If we could avoid toppling it down, I am sure that would be much appreciated.”

“That is where we come in,” Minfilia interjected, inserting herself into the plan seamlessly. “The Scions of the Seventh Dawn and our allies will join forces to enter with the Immortal Flames with our priority to save the innocents within.”

Alphinaud nodded, smiling brightly as he lifted a finger in the air. “We not only have the Grand Companies and the Scions to see this mission through, but the pirates of Limsa Lominsa and the Monetarists of Ul’dah as well as eight other factions when all is said and done,” he stated proudly. “Legend holds that Archons were twelve in one and one in twelve. It is for this reason our entire endeavor has been named  _ Operation Archon. _ ”

“Hundred gil says he came up with that one,” Cid nudged Carine’s arm, smirking at her in jest. She grinned back at him, unable to disagree with the way the boy was beaming from ear to ear as he made the proclamation. 

The way everyone was smiling, the way hope seemed to float through the air, gave Carine renewed faith in their abilities and hers too. None of this was likely to be easy, and each and every person present knew they were going to lose good men and women on the battlefield even should they prove successful. But they had faith in the Twelve to guide them, faith in themselves to fight, and faith in Carine to see them to victory. 

There was only one thing that could sour the mood in this moment, and the Elezen had been the unlucky person to think of it just as their discussion was drawing to a close. 

“What of Thancred?”

Just as she had suspected, the room silenced at once and the hopeful smiles faded to sadness. 

Minfilia was the first, and only to speak on his behalf. “All of us have known the risks involved with defending the realm. Thancred is-was no stranger to them. How Lahabrea came to possess him, I could scarce begin to understand,” she shook her head sadly, tears forming at the corners of her blue eyes. “Save him should the opportunity present itself, but do not become reckless should the endeavor appear futile. He would not want you risking your own life, or the lives of others, in exchange for his.”

With that, the Highlander turned on her heels and left the room, overcome with grief as she spoke the words aloud. Carine wanted to follow her, apologize for bringing it up because she hadn’t realized what pain it would bring, but Cid held her back. There had to be a way to save their friend, there just had to. What path that was, or what cost had to be paid, however, Carine did not know. 

The meeting concluded not long after the antecedent’s departure, still ending on a rather high note considering the grim orders the Warrior of Light had received. Elaine was waiting patiently for them just outside the doors, her face writ with worry as she caught sight of her daughter. Patiently, Carine explained the basic idea of their plan and reluctantly admitted to her role in each phase. It pained her to see her mother’s face twist into anguish as she listened, tears rolling down her cheeks as she squeezed her hand before pulling her in for a tight embrace. 

“Promise me, Carine, that you  _ will _ come back to me,” she pleaded with trembling lips, frantically wiping at her eyes as she released her. 

She knew she couldn’t do that, not truthfully, and her mother knew it too. Still, if it gave her peace of mind through the night, Carine would avoid giving a direct answer for her. “I’ll try, Mama,” she smiled, taking her hands and kissing them in reassurance. “Walk with me to the landing docks?”

Elaine didn’t hesitate to follow, holding on as if she were terrified to let go lest she never see her again. Carine wouldn’t allow herself to think of it, the pain too great and distracting for her to bear. The two of them prayed together along the way, their voices rising with sweet harmony in gentle song, lifting the spirits of those that traveled with them. By the time they had reached the landing docks within the city of Ul’dah, their tears had dried and silent promises they had made to themselves had kept them from shedding more. 

As much as both of them hated to depart from one another, they both knew that there were forces in motion currently out of their control. So they kissed each other’s cheeks and embraced one final time before Elaine sent her daughter off to win a war not in their favor. As Carine looked back to wave, she saw her mother standing tall and proud with an encouraging smile on her face. 

If she could send her daughter off to war, Carine could damn well try to win it for her.

 

***

 

It had felt like a lifetime ago since Carine had been to Cape Westwind. In fact, she was sure her last visit had been when her life had changed; the day she had been Drafted to wed Nero. Never would she have dreamed of coming back to this place, especially not as some great warrior. Yet here she was, waiting with bated breath for the soldiers to confirm that Rhitahtyn had appeared. 

They had arrived earlier in the afternoon to prepare for the assault. Carine had been given her choice of weapons, not that she felt confident that any of them could pierce through the armor he wore. She settled with a lance and a bow, both carefully crafted with allagan materials that had been stolen some time ago from Garlean caravans as well as a vial of poison to tip her arrows and coat her spear. 

She was going to need all the help she could get. 

Meanwhile, Cid coordinated with the others in Vesper Bay, issuing out commands and directing their men as needed to increase their chances. While the Garlean had left his homeland before the occupation in Eorzea, his knowledge of their tactics and distribution of soldiers was invaluable. His goal was to make sure that the imperials in the outpost couldn’t leave to warn the others and stay distracted enough to keep them from aiding their general against Carine. 

By late afternoon, just as the orange glow of the sun began to sink in the horizon and dim the sky, they were ready. There were three small units available to them, each of them aimed towards the outpost and ready to strike once given the signal. As ready as she had thought herself for the task, Carine still couldn’t stop the tremors in her hands or the fluttering in her stomach as she waited for  _ someone _ to lay eyes on Rhitahtyn. She knew this would be a waiting game from the moment they had received word from the Admiral that the praefectus had left his stronghold a bell ago. And yet, though her body ached to move and her heart yearned for this night to be over with, she still jumped when the lieutenant answered a call on his linkpearl. 

The target had been sighted. 

“Attention all units,” Lieutenant Cotter commanded, looking to those before him as he also spoke through the linkpearl. “The first step begins with us. Should we fail here, all hope of victory will be lost..”

Carine tuned out the rest of his speech as she closed her eyes. It felt as if she wouldn’t have been able to hear his encouraging words over the pounding of her heart anyway. Instead, she prayed. 

She called upon Halone, the Fury, that she might bless her blades and offer her protection in this battle. She called upon Thaliak, the Scholar, to grant their leaders the knowledge needed to guide them to victory. To Llymlaen, the Navigator, to put the wind in the Maelstrom’s sails, and Nymeia, that she might find favor in all their fates. She prayed to Rhalgr, the Destroyer, that he would lend his strength to destroy those that opposed them, and to Althyk, that he would acknowledge the change the Eorzeans sought for themselves this night.

Last, she prayed to Hydaelyn, the goddess that saw fit to bless her with a gift she could scarce begin to understand. 

_ I don’t know why you chose me, I think I’d rather not know, _ she prayed.  _ But if I am to lead these people to victory, if I am to follow your path in the Light, I need all the help I can get. If there’s anything extra, any small push you can give, I beg of you to grant it to me so that I might not fail them. _

There wasn’t an answer, not even a shift on the breeze that so many attributed to carrying their messages to the gods, but Carine never expected one to begin with. The goddess had remained silent this long, somehow gifting powers to the Elezen with her being none the wiser, why change now? Of course getting  _ something _ would have been better than nothing, but it was too late to hold out for that. 

“Mistress Monteil,” Lieutenant Cotter addressed her with an Immortal Flames salute. “Raubahn has ordered that you destroy or disable the magitek transporter just there on the cliff.”

Her eyes followed his pointing finger, nodding as it came into sight. She didn’t know exactly  _ how _ she was supposed to kill it, nor did she have much time to ask Cid what he thought might work for her unit was on the move.

As her men moved forward under the command of Lieutenant Cotts, the Elezen lifted the blue horned helmet that she had set on a rock earlier. She had thought it silly when Cid had presented it to her after their arrival at Vesper Bay. She thought that, after today, everyone in Eorzea and Garlemald alike would know her name and her face whether she lived or died. Cid, however, explained that it had become a symbol to the people of Eorzea. A symbol of hope that only she could bring when things looked dire. 

With so much responsibility wrapped into such a simple piece of armor, it was no wonder it seemed heavier as she place it over her head and followed suit.

Carine wasn’t supposed to fight with the lot of soldiers she traveled with, but her anxiety drove her to release some of the pent up energy that had been steadily building within her as the day had dragged on. By some manner of fortune, they met little resistance. It seemed as though the imperials hadn’t counted on the Eorzeans leading an offensive move, and thus the outpost was only lightly guarded. 

Step by step, the Free Company and Immortal Flames pressed forward, driving back the Garleans with a force they hadn’t accounted for until they had arrived to the location of the magitek transporter that connected Occidens and the outpost. To take that piece of technology out would render Occidens useless for any sort of aid until someone could come and repair it. If the Flames could hold out, there most likely wouldn’t  _ be _ anyone left to repair it, not at the outpost anyway. 

The only problem she saw now was the massive Roegadyn in Garlean armor standing between her and her goal. 

“Ah, it seems we have guests,” Rhitahtyn stated, turning the bulk of his body around to face her. 

_ For the love of the Twelve… _ her eyes widened at the sight of him, hardly imagining that this was, indeed, the same man she had met the night of Ultima’s reveal. While the bulk of his armor seemed to look the same as it had, black as night and complete with a helmet adorned with bull-like horns, Carine had  _ certainly _ missed the two giant shields on his arms. Not only was he a walking fortress with seemingly no weaknesses to exploit, but being a Roegadyn meant the man had power. Power enough to wield two shields as weapons. Power enough to kill her in one blow if she made even a single miscalculation. 

“You seem familiar. Where have I seen you before?” Rhitahtyn asked with a tilt to his head. “Ah, yes. I remember now. It was  _ you _ who fell the mighty Titan.”

The soldiers beside the monster of a man jerked in surprise, their heads swiveling between their leader and his opposition. 

“Th-this is the eikon slayer!?” one of them asked in disbelief as he turned to his leader. “This woman?”

Rhitahtyn ignored him, his eyes focused on Carine as he looked her up and down. Well, she  _ supposed _ that’s what he was doing. She never could tell with their bloody faceless helmets. “So. The attack on this outpost appears to be nothing more than a diversion,” he said. “I see the Scions wasted no time with their freedom to seek you out, Warrior.”

Though the Immortal Flames had done well in creating a distraction that saw her through this far, Carine found herself still sorting her frustration at their bewilderment that she was a woman. How in Seven Hells could they follow a woman like Livia sas Junius and find disbelief that the Warrior of Light was female?

“Ser, should we warn the others of an uprising?” Another footsoldier asked, glancing warily in her direction. Carine smirked under her helm, satisfied to see that they still feared her. They damn well should.

He rumbled a laugh and shook his head. “You may try, though I fear it will be for naught. If the Scions are as skilled in strategy as I reckon, you won’t get there in time,” he told them and waved them on. “Leave us. Truth be told, none of you are a match for her.”

At once the soldiers saluted him, jogging past her quickly while casting sidelong glances in her direction. If it weren’t for the fact she was, quite literally, shaking in her boots, Carine would have jumped at them just to watch them spook. Rather, she stood her ground and admired the faith they had in their leader to defeat her - an admiration that was rivaled only by her nerves as the stage was set for battle.

“Warrior, I am not wont to bare my steel needlessly,” Rhitahtyn stated, squaring off against her. “Gaius is a reasonable and  _ just _ leader. I have no doubts that if you were to lay down your weapons and saw befit to join his cause, he would welcome you into his garrison without hesitation.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I find it difficult to wish to work for a man so hellsbent on killing an entire nation of people for disagreeing with him,” Carine replied. 

The beast before her tilted his head to the side, listening to her words and no doubt trying to remember where he knew her voice from. Surprisingly, it took longer than she would have thought before she noticed his back straighten and shoulders square off. 

“So, the bride of the great Nero tol Scaeva doubles as the Warrior of Light. How intriguing,” Rhitahtyn stated, easing his stance. She wished she could have seen his face the moment he put two and two together. She wished she could have seen it now as she wondered what he was thinking as he looked at her again. “A wonder you managed to keep it from him for so long.”

Carine shrugged. “Whose to say that he didn’t know the entire time?”

“Ha! There is little doubt in my mind that he remains oblivious to your true identity,” he laughed, his broad shoulders shaking with the effort. “Though I must give you credit. ‘Twould seem that you leaving wounded him.”

Somehow the Elezen doubted that, not that it made his words haunt her any less. What exactly made him think that Nero was hurt by her leaving? Or was he just trying to press her buttons into distraction? 

“Look, as much as I would love to stay and chat with you about my  _ beloved _ husband, I am feeling pressed for time. Eorzea isn’t going to save herself, you know,” she taunted him, pulling her lance from her back. 

“To what end?” the Roegadyn asked. “What does Eorzea need saving from if not herself? That has been Lord Gaius’ goal from the start. 

“For fifteen years he has labored and toiled to save your people and still his desire burns as hot as ever. Do you know why this is?”

“Because he’s a sore loser?” Carine smirked.”Honestly, the man has failed twice trying to conquer us, and I’m about to make that a third time. At some point, he’s going to have to get the message that Eorzea just doesn’t want him.”

Rhitahtyn ‘tsked with a heavy shake of his head. “The lands Gaius conquers are all beset with problems - poverty, lawlessness, starvation. My homeland was no exception.Had he not reached out to claim it for the Empire, it surely would have destroyed itself,” he explained. “That is the compassion of my Lord. He wishes to  _ save _ the people - to free them of the shackles of false faith and weak leadership.”

As the praefectus talked, Carine listened and watched, her eyes picking up on any openings in his armor that might serve as a weak point. So far, there weren’t many options to choose from. The Roegadyn was, quite literally, a walking fortress with his custom armor. His head and neck were sufficiently covered by carefully crafted Garlean steel, as was his chest and arms. From what she could see, the weakest points in his defense were under his arms and between his legs. 

It wasn’t much, but weakness was weakness and she could exploit it.

“Oh really?” she asked. “Please, tell me more.”

“You mock me, but what I tell you is true. You have but to look at me to see the man’s worth,” he went on. “I am no Garlean by blood, yet I am ranked equally with his own bride - trusted enough to be a leader of his army. And while Nero is Garlean, the man was not of any notable birth, yet he is Gaius’ most trusted subordinate. Should you wish to lay down your weapons and join forces with us, I have no doubt that he would welcome you among his trusted companions. I imagine that would please your husband greatly.”

Carine rolled her eyes at the mention of Nero again. She couldn’t decide if Rhitahtyn was trying to distract her or was genuine in his offer, and she couldn’t afford to care. Time was wasting and there was an entire army waiting on her to fell this man to set their plans into motion. 

“I imagine he would be. A shame he must get used to disappointment,” she said, pulling her bow from her back. Quick as lightning she took aim, targeting his right thigh with careful precision from years of training. Her arrow whistled through the air, yet somehow the brute was able to move just enough that it didn’t land. Oh, it ripped through the cloth that served to protect his flesh there and grazed against his skin, but she had hoped for a much more critical hit than  _ that. _

Rhitahtyn looked down at the jagged bit of fabric now torn and then back at her. It was impossible for Carine to tell what he was thinking with his helmet, but she imagined there was a good bit of rage hiding below it. 

“It seems you are deaf to reason,” his voice lowered, taking on a much more dangerous tone as he squared off against her. “No matter. If you would not see your realm protected from eikons that would bleed it dry or your people freed from oppression and persecution, then I shall endeavor to see it so.”

“Truly? I like my chances of oppression by eikons I have fell than the oppression that is offered from the Empire,” she replied, taking another shot. This time, she didn’t catch him off guard, and her arrow shattered against one of the shields on his arms.

By now, the man was angry. If she couldn’t tell by his offensive stance, then the roar he let bellow from his breast as he leaned forward and charged at her did. It seemed a strange tactic, from someone who was considered unrivaled in field tactics, to charge headlong into an opponent that was quicker than he. The Warrior of Light easily saw the path he forged and stepped nimbly to the right to avoid a collision. 

But the beast somehow  _ knew _ she would do just that, and managed to account for it. Just as her body moved out of the way, he struck one of his shields into the ground and used the momentum he had built to swing around, bringing his heavily armored legs straight into her abdomen. 

All the air was knocked from her lungs as Carine’s body was sent flying through the air. She landed with a heavy thump against the magitek transporter, gasping for air as stars danced behind her eyes. Ok, so maybe they hadn’t been lying when they had said this man was worth his weight as a fighter. It was no bloody wonder that Gaius had elected to add the man to his team. It had been her own folly, and perhaps the folly of the Alliance leaders that had faith in her to see this through, that lead her to believe this fight wouldn’t have been so bad. 

She shook her head, willing herself to clear her mind just in time to dodge another attack from the man as he brought his shield down. It struck the earth hard enough that she could feel it shake beneath her. No doubt such a blow would end her life should he land a hit. 

Not only was she outmatched in outright strength, but in the midst of being hit with the force of his body, she had no weapons to use. Her lance was laying harmless on the ground and her bow had been knocked from her grasp. The only way to get to them was to go through Rhitahtyn, who was now pulling the point of his shield out of the ground. 

As quickly as she could, Carine rushed for her lance, grasping it in her desperate fingers before stretching her legs to put as much distance between her and the general as possible. She couldn’t afford to be hit like that again, not if she wanted her mission to be successful. Even now he was circling back around to face her, watching her every movement. 

“Your plan is futile, Warrior,” he said, pointing one of his shields at her. “I will still allow you to surrender.”

“Like Hells I would!” she shouted, trying to find a way to distract him long enough to hurdle her spear at him. 

The Elezen didn’t notice the barrels attached to his weapons, or hear the tell-tale clink of a finger drawing back a hammer until it was nearly too late. It was all she could do to use her lance to launch herself off the ground before he shot at her with his arm cannons, shattering the shaft of her weapon. Again she fell, narrowly missing the sharpened point of her spear, cursing herself for her inattention to detail. 

If she couldn’t get her act together, it would surely get her killed.

The problem with the man was that he seemed impervious to distraction. He had a goal - a single mind set that kept him alert and attentive to everything she might be capable of. He had also had the pleasure of watching her fight before against a being with a similar tanking style, just far less tactful in the execution. Add in his ability to disorient in close range combat and his long range weapons attached to those bloody shields, it was a wonder she ever stood a chance to begin with. 

As he charged in her direction again, Carine had but a split second to consider her options before he was upon her. She couldn’t take the full force of his attack as she had little protection to withstand it, nor could she dance around just out of range of his shields because the man had bloody guns attached to them. What she needed was something that would distract him just long enough to give her a chance to exploit his weak points. 

And then she got an idea. 

Carine was not good at magic. Time and time again, Urianger and Papalymo had tried to educate her on how to use spells and mana in a way that would benefit her in battle, but there was only so much they could do before they had to accept she just didn’t have the control or power behind them. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t  _ use _ magic. So, just as Rhitahtyn charged towards her, she conjured up the largest fireball she was capable of and blasted him in the face. 

Clearly he hadn’t been expecting such a counterattack as he tripped over the ground and landed hard in the dirt. While encumbered with the extra weight of his heavy armor, Carine took advantage and sliced at his exposed areas, dragging her poison coated spearhead into his flesh as much as she could before leaping out of the way of one flailing arm. That had been her only opportunity to use that sort of attack, not only because the general knew she could use magic now as a weapon (however feeble it was), but because that single fireball had cost her most of her mana.

Once he was back on his feet, it was a matter of playing cat and mouse between the two. Carine would run Rhitahtyn in tight circles, close enough he couldn’t properly take aim at her with his guns but just out of reach of his long arms so he couldn’t catch her with his shields. Occasionally she would come in close enough to take a chance at swiping him again with her spearhead, but those moments were few and far between as he was quick to account for the attack.

And her game of chase was paying off. As more time passed, the Garlean general became slower and his movements more labored. This gave the Warrior of Light ample opportunity to grab onto her bow and make use of it against him. Poison tipped arrow after poison tipped arrow struck into his thighs, or the meat just under his arms. The ichor coursed through his veins, working faster through his system as he labored to stay on his feet, faithful to Gaius van Baelsar to the last. 

Soon the giant fell to his knees, his chest heaving with each gasping breath as he tried to bring himself back to his feet. By some miracle, whether it be Hydaelyn’s blessing or her own skill, Carine had found herself to have the upper hand as she stood over him. 

“I shall offer you the same as you did me,” she said, surprised at the words coming out of her mouth. It wasn’t her place to offer the man a chance at redemption and there was no guarantee that the Scions or the Alliance would grant the man anything she promised, yet she found her heart aching for the man before her. “Lay down your arms, choose to fight for freedom from oppression, and I will speak on your behalf.”

“Do you think they would listen to your words? Nay, you and I both know the effort would fall on deaf ears,” he replied, resting the bulk of his weight against one of his shields. “Nor would I betray the man that believed in me to rise one of unfit birth to my rank.”

“Don’t be foolish. I am the Warrior of Light. They would listen,” she tried to reason with him. Of course, it was an empty promise and she knew it. Still, there was no reason he had to die today. 

“‘Tis not I that is the fool. Go. Fight your hopeless battle and pray to your helpless gods,” he ordered her, sitting back against the magitek transporter heavily. “And know my only regret was that I was unable to defeat  _ you. _ ”

Two breaths later and the Roegadyn moved no more as his head slumped against his chest.  _ Pity, _ she thought to herself as she removed her helm from her head.  _ A man that dedicated would have done wonders for our own people if he could just see what true oppression was. _

With the praefectus defeated, Carine now had the task of dismantling the transporter the bulk of his body now leaned against. She liked to assume that his men were unsuccessful at sending word from the outpost as she took aim at the crystal sitting atop it. No one had come through and as far as she knew, no backup had arrived to aid their leader. 

Her ammunition bounced harmlessly against the crystal, forcing her into thinking of other ways to destroy it or render it useless for the duration of the battle to come. Her boots crunched against the dry grass and dirt, scuffing up dust as she walked around the thing to find some sort of generator or  _ something _ that would prove weak enough for her to break. Unfortunately, Carine had apparently read all the wrong manuals that Nero had ever written because the seamless metal work before her seemed impervious to the tools she had at her disposal. 

And then her eyes rested upon the giant cannons on Rhitahtyn’s shields. Just one blast from one of them should be more than enough to disable the thing. Carine immediately set to work, shifting his heavy bulk in a way that would allow her to aim the cannon straight into the air and at the crystal currently spinning. It was a more difficult task than she would have believed - maneuvering the heavy armor out of the way and then somehow positioning him just right. Then came trying to pull on the over large trigger of the device. It took her wiggling his thick fingers out of the way so that she could try and pull the damn thing herself and still it was no easy task.

It took several tries before she finally managed to hit her mark. Sparks flew as the weapon blasted easily through the Garlean technology, ripping through the black steel and destroying the crystal overhead. Carine paid the thing no mind as she sank to the ground to catch her own breath, looking over one last time at the poor soul that had given his life to a cause that he believed in.

Carine didn’t know his story, not as he knew it anyway. Nero had told her about how Gaius had come upon Rhitahtyn when he was a younger, hotblooded fool and shaped him into the man that he became. It seemed that was the continual story with Gaius. Find a troubled soul in need of a way to prove their worth and give them a cause they believe in laying down their life for. There was no other way. She knew even Nero was susceptible to this line of belief, a thought that she didn’t wish to linger on. 

As Cid’s airship came to collect her, drawing the first phase of Operation Archon to its close, she couldn’t help but wonder if Nero would be sharing in a similar fate before the night was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the quality of this chapter. I like it, I feel like it suits well for its purpose, but it isn't my favorite so far. It's been a struggle this week, but I think I finally made something that I am proud of publishing. It isn't perfect, but it is MUCH better than what I almost posted the other day. Like...night and day difference.


	20. Storming the Castrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Walking back to where she had dropped her helmet, Carine reached down and dusted it off before setting it upon her head, allowing the dying woman time to send warning to her lover with her last breath.  
>  The Warrior of Light was coming for him._

The flight from Cape Westwind to Castrum Meridianum was mostly silent. Carine sat behind where Cid stood navigating the  _ Enterprise _ towards their destination while a white mage from the Black Shroud healed her wounds and restored her stamina. 

Her mind continued to wander back to Rhitahtyn, the ache in her chest at having to end his life distracting her from the next step in their plan. Out of all the times for her Echo to fail her, it had to be now. What she would have given to know exactly what the Roegadyn had faced in his youth that made him believe the Garleans were the answer to the problem. It must have been horrible for the man to so completely dedicate himself to their cause without being of their blood. At any rate, Eorzea surely wasn’t to  _ that _ point. They had their problems, but they weren’t so far gone that they couldn’t find a way to solve them on their own.

“You did well, lass,” Cid told her, breaking the silence and her train of thoughts. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled, her eyes fixed on the floor. 

“I need to know, Carine…” he began, handing the wheel off to Biggs, one of his assistants, so that he could turn to face her. “Are you up for what is to come?”

Again, the question everyone saw fit to ask her. “Of course not. I’ve never witnessed any of these generals fight, yet they seem to have all watched me at some point. And Ultima...Ultima is not just one, but  _ three _ Primal powers converged into  _ one _ machine that can do things that we still may not yet know. They know we are coming for them by now, which gives them time to prepare the defenses and to sap my strength before I ever reach them. How in Seven Hells am I supposed to be able to account for that and truly be  _ ready? _ ” she asked as she clenched her hands together to stop them from shaking. 

“That’s not what I meant. Or rather, not  _ who _ I meant,” he explained as he sat down next to her, concern in his pale grey eyes. 

“Nero won’t be a problem.”

It had become her go to response anytime anyone asked her about him and whether or not she would be able to face him in battle. She had repeated it as a mantra the night the Alliance had decided to turn their armies upon the Garleans, assuring them of their worst fear - her turning on them at the last minute in favor of the man she had been forced into marrying. At this point she had said it enough that she almost believed it herself. 

Cid sighed and turned away, scratching thoughtfully at his beard before replying, “You don’t have to lie to me, lass.”

“What makes you think I’m lying?” she asked with a frown.

“Because I know if I were the one in your shoes I wouldn’t be able to kill the man,” he replied without reservation. “You forget that I grew up with him.”

Carine hadn’t forgotten. The memory of Nero’s past usually crept into her mind when she least expected it, threatening to bring guilt with it. “Eorzea depends on me to make the people safe from the grip of the Empire. It doesn’t matter if I am ready to do what needs to be done or not. They  _ expect _ me to.”

Her friend could only shake his head, giving up on trying to get anything else out of her in regards to their mutual connection. The thing was, she didn’t want to admit out loud that she  _ wasn’t  _ ready to fight him and even kill him if she had to. To say it would be to admit to an ally that there was more between her and the Garlean than there ever should have been. To admit that would mean that she  _ couldn’t _ do what needed to be done. At least if she tried to convince herself that she could kill him then there was a chance. A small chance, but a chance all the same. 

“Tell me, Cid. You know Livia and Nero and Gaius well, right?” she asked, changing the subject slightly. 

“It’s been several years since I have seen them or worked with them, but yes. Why?”

Carine couldn’t afford to go into another battle as ill-prepared as she had against Rhitahtyn, not when he was just one of four possible adversaries to face. 

“I need to know what it will take for me to kill them. How they fight, what they use, any weaknesses you might be aware of. I need to know it all.”

 

***

 

It took the greater part of a bell to reach Castrum Meridianum thanks to having to take an indirect route to avoid being blasted out of the sky. It gave Cid plenty of time to explain what he could remember of everyone’s fighting style and their weapons of choice as well as any weaknesses Carine might be able to exploit should she have to face them. The healer that had come with them on their journey had also had some time to concoct a few different potions that she would be able to put in a small pack and use as needed for the battle to come. 

And it was clearly going to be a battle as the  _ Enterprise _ circled around the field below. The entirety of the Immortal Flames were already in position for the assault on the stronghold. Alongside their numbers were several Free Companies and other smaller bands of mercenaries that had allied themselves to their cause. To see so many Eorzeans willingly joining in on a fight that Rhitahtyn had said would be futile rekindled the flames of hope within Carine’s chest as they landed. He was wrong. He had to be. Tonight, they would prove it.

“You did it!” Minfilia exclaimed as they exited the airship, clapping her hands together before checking her over. “I knew you could do it. Tell me, were many lost in the exchange?”

“A few, as was expected, but the outpost was lightly guarded to begin with. The messengers sent for aid never made it to their destination which kept the fight in our favor,” Cid explained with a wide smile. “How fare the others?”

The antecedent walked along beside them, explaining how it seemed that the Twin Adders had taken Castrum Oriens by complete surprise with their own offensive movement. The last they had heard from them, they were successful at keeping those forces at bay with the help of the Sylphs. They were so successful, in fact, that they had hurried to send another force ahead to aid the unit sent to block the railway as their losses were at a minimum.

The Maelstrom, on the other hand, saw much more resistance in their attack on their two strongholds. The exact number of people lost was still unknown as Admiral Merlwyb was still orchestrating the blockade. At least, up to this point, the second phase of the operation was successful.

They were lead to Raubahn’s tent where Alphinaud was looking over some missives with him. No doubt the lad was trying to continue to impress the general with whatever advice he saw fit to offer. Judging by the bright smile on his face, he was offering more than just a little insight on the situation at hand. 

“Glad am I to see you still standing, Carine,” he beamed with pride as he welcomed her. “Word has it that you were a stark match for the praefectus. Would that I could have bore witness to such a battle!”

_ Would that I could have avoided killing the man, _ she thought to herself as she smiled back at him. “It was a hard fought victory, I can assure you,” the Warrior told him instead. “One of many, before this night is through.”

“Aye, word has it that Livia sas Junius has been spotted patrolling the battlements on her white Reaper. She will not make it easy for you,” Raubahn stated. 

“Only if she  _ knows _ she’s there. With any luck, Carine and Cid could be well inside the Praetorium before she catches wind of them,” Alphinaud interjected with a bored wave of his hand.  _ Someone _ seemed confident in their abilities to read a situation.

“What is the plan?” Carine asked, taking a seat on a wooden bench. She looked down at the map before her, not that it did her any good. She was always so terrible with reading battle plans. It was much easier to just make it up as she went along. 

“My Flames will charge ahead, creating a diversion on these sides,” Raubahn said, pointing at the walls around the castrum on the map. “There is a drainage pipe here that is large enough for the two of you to fit through, which will spit you out here if our intel is correct. Once you are safely within the walls, we will be relying on your knowledge of the layout of the place to get you to the generator keeping that shield up while my troops hold their attention.”

Well...shit.  _ That _ might be a problem. Apparently they assumed that Carine knew her way around the fortress - a rational and reasonable thought when one considered that she had lived there for several months. The problem was, Carine had spent more time  _ outside _ its walls helping the Scions of the Seventh Dawn than exploring the intricate roadways and passages it had to offer. 

“Got it,” she told them, opting to keep that little detail to herself. She had successfully managed to maneuver around the castrum before with luck on her side. Besides, there was a good chance the generator keeping that shield up was close to the Praetorium. That, and she had Cid trekking the castrum with her. If anyone could figure their way around a Garlean stronghold, surely a Garlean could.

“And just so you won’t be outmatched by their technology…” Cid began, reaching under the table with a sly grin on his face. When his hands reappeared, Carine’s eyes widened in surprise and intrigue as he laid out a quiver full of strange arrows, the likes of which she had never seen. Their shafts were surprisingly lightweight for being made of metal, and their tips were larger and stronger than anything she had ever used before with a pulsing red light in their center. 

“What  _ are _ these?” she asked, turning one over in her hand as Cid reached below to pull out another quiver and then another. 

“Arrows of my own design. Truth be told, they were from a project I had started during the Academy to improve Garlean weapons that was set aside when Nero had discovered how to make ceruleum work in handheld weapons. They aren’t gunlances or gunhammers, but they should give you an edge the imperials aren’t accounting for,” he smiled, grey eyes twinkling with pride. “The red pulsing ones explode on contact. The yellow will stun. And these…” this time he pulled out some that didn’t pulse at all. “These will pierce their armor.”

Carine examined her new toys, eyes shining in the dim light the lanterns hanging overhead gave them to see by. Her fingers pricked against the arrowheads, drawing a pinpoint of blood to prove their sharpness. Their edges were as blades, some serrated and meant for cutting, others smooth for ease of entry. All of them were absolutely deadly. 

“I have one question, if you’ve a mind?” the Elezen asked, carefully putting the arrow she had been holding down with its fellows. 

“What might that be?” Cid looked down at his creation, perplexed as to what could prompt her curiosity on such a simple design.

Carine’s eyes shot up at him, deviant and wild and even mildly accusatory. “Care to tell me why you waited till  _ now _ to give these to me? I could have used these so long ago!”

The Garlean flinched away, blocking her playful blow against his arm as they both laughed. “To be honest, lass, they weren’t  _ quite _ perfect until lately. And then I had foolishly shipped all of them here rather than leave a quiverfull on my ship to use at Cape Westwind. Pray, forgive me.”

Before Carine could tease him anymore, Raubahn and Minfilia joined them. Their lips were pressed in fine lines, their shoulders straightened and tense. The time for fun and jests was over. 

This was it.

While the leaders gave their speeches to lift the spirits and morale of their soldiers, Carine and Cid made their way quietly along the edge of the castrum walls. It was rough travel, making their way to the drainage pipe west of the stronghold without being detected all while stepping over loose stones and brushing past dry shrubs, but by some miracle they had avoided Garlean eyes. From then on, it was a matter of waiting for the main thrust to make their move and occupy the attention of the soldiers within.

Too soon did the alarms within the fortress begin blaring, giving them their signal to press on. Cid had her hold for several minutes before entering the castrum itself to wait out any stragglers that might stumble upon them and thus ruin their chance at surprise. Once he was confident that any randoms they might happen upon wouldn’t be a cause of concern, they pressed forward.

“Alright, so I would venture a guess that the generator for that shield is most likely located on the southside of the castrum, just past the ceruleum processing plant there and further away from the main entrance,” Cid said as they worked their way through the barren streets. In the distance they could hear the sounds of battle rising up in a chorus, urging them to make haste in their task and reminding them that it wasn’t only their lives on the line. “What would you think is the quickest way?”

“Er, well…” Carine stuttered as she pressed her back to a wall, peeking around the edge to make sure they were alone. “I guess now would be a bad time to mention that I had no idea there was a ceruleum processing plant here?”

“You didn’t know there was- Carine, please tell me you at least know how to get to the Praetorium!” Cid hissed as he followed her on. 

“Well yeah...if we came in  _ through the front gate, _ ” she shot back. Ok, so this was definitely her fault. The Alliance and Scions both had spies on this side of the wall, not that she knew who any of them were, but they could have utilized their knowledge to give them a basic map of the place. In order for that to have happened, Carine would have had to tell them she didn’t know much about Castrum Meridianum past the landing docks, front gate, and her gilded cage.

“For the love of-” Cid shook his head and cursed before taking a deep breath. “Very well then. From what I remember of the bloody blueprints, the processing plant is this way.”

Carine followed him obediently, keeping her eyes peeled for any Garleans that might be hiding out in dark passages or around sharp corners. Luck had been on their side, it seemed, for they met little resistance until they happened upon a Garlean sitting upon his Reaver guarding what appeared to be a major intersection. He hadn’t caught onto their presence, giving them the element of surprise and a chance for the Elezen to play with one of her shiny new arrows. 

“Try not to damage the Reaper if you can,” Cid warned as she carefully took aim. “We will have need of it to help destroy the generator.”

Carine nodded and released her breath as she let her stunning arrow fly. Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise as her ammo landed true, striking the Garlean in the arm and immobilizing him. She didn’t know how much time they would have, so she quickly rushed to him, nocking another arrow and pointing it at his face. 

“Call out for help and I shoot. Try to signal for help in any way, I shoot. Understand?” she asked. Of course, thinking on it now it seemed silly to ask a man if he understood something when he couldn’t move from the electrical shock holding him in place. “Er- well, I am going to assume you do. Now...I am going to have my friend here remove this arrow and we can talk like nice, civilized adults, yes?”

She motioned for Cid to join her and told him what she had told the poor Garlean soldier. Reluctantly, he did as he was instructed and removed the arrow to relieve the man of the pain he must have been in. As she should have expected, the bloody soldier immediately took the opportunity to alert whoever he could through his communications device, forcing her hand in killing him. 

“Well...at least I tried?” she said, more to herself than to the man beside her. 

“Gaius maintains loyal men, Carine. We can’t offer them all a chance at redemption if we wish to be successful tonight,” Cid reminded her. “The bright side is, we now have something to raise some hell with.”

It took only a few minutes for the Garlean to override the Reaper’s system, bringing the magitek to life under his command. Carine climbed upon its back, standing on a small foothold and holding onto one of the decorative wings for balance as it raised up on its two feet. It wasn’t a good ole Chocobo, but it would make due. 

And then came the backup. It wasn’t a major force that would cause them any real trouble, especially when they had a functioning Reaper on their side, but it was enough to slow them down. Carine chose to save her precious arrows by grabbing the first lance she saw to use against their foes. Cid operated the machinery beautifully, controlling the crowd with disorienting explosions that gave the Warrior advantage in the fight until they were all down.

Such was the way of their journey. They would encounter random waves of enemies that would slow them down and then rush ahead for several minutes before finding more. By all accounts, it shouldn’t have been so easy to get from their starting location to the ceruleum processing plant, yet there had been no sightings of higher ranked officers or Livia herself. 

The acrid smell of liquified ceruleum was the first hint that their destination was just ahead. While her helmet most likely blocked the worst of it, Carine no longer wondered as to why the Garleans chose such intricate face masks for helmets as the caustic aroma burned her eyes and nose. Cid, who wasn’t wearing any sort of protection on his face, was constantly wiping the tears from his eyes and the thin mucus running from his nose with nearly every breath until they happened upon another group of soldiers. 

“I forgot how much of a bite that stuff has when in large quantities,” he sniffled as he pulled on the helm of one of the fallen soldiers. “Careful where you aim your arrows, lass. Ceruleum is highly flammable. A stray blast here will send the entire castrum malms in the air and below the ground.”

The Elezen heeded his warning, stringing her bow on her back in favor of the blades tucked in her boots. “Where exactly do you think this generator is?” she asked, carefully stalking past the bubbling vats of the bright blue liquid that acted as a fuel source for magitek.

“If I remember right, it should be just on the other side of this plant,” he replied, leading the way on his Reaper. “Gaius is a careful man that isn’t prone to recklessness. Having a powerful generator close to such a combustible resource - a much needed resource at that - wouldn’t be wise.”

Carine nodded, staying alert to any signs of danger that could be lurking in the multitude of hiding places created by the large, black pipes that criss crossed over and through the facility. Try as she might to remain silent, the acidic bite of the fumes produced by the fuel source burned her throat. She was forced to try clearing it, and the coughing to ease the sensation alerted the guards of the facility of their presence. With each small battle, her breathing became more labored and the burn much less tolerable than before. 

“Cid…” she croaked, her voice rasping in the effort of trying to get her friend’s attention. In her distress, she hadn’t noticed that he had stopped moving forward. She stumbled into the steel legs of the Reaper, falling backwards with a look of concern and disapproval. “Cid?”

“Lass, you might want to take one of those potions that healer gave you…” he warned, his grey eyes fixed straight ahead. “I found the generator.”

Curiosity lead the Warrior of Light to peek around the Reaper and behold their objective. Standing between them and the generator, however, was Livia sas Junius. 

Perched in her own Reaper, it’s white steel and gold trim matching that of her armor, the Tribune looked across the platform at her opponents. “Well, if it isn’t the traitor himself and his meddlesome friend,” she seemed to smirk, not that Carine could  _ see _ her expression. 

“Ah, Livia. Long time, no see,” Cid smiled and waved as jovial as he could be. If it weren’t for the intensity resting in his broad shoulders, Carine might have even thought him greeting an old friend. 

“Though it is a conclusion my beloved would hope to avoid, however, by the will of Garlemald itself I find myself tasked with the duty of slaying you,” she replied. Meanwhile Carine dug through the small pack at her side to fish out one of the potions she needed to cease the burning in her lungs. The cool contents soothed and healed as they washed down her throat, helping to ease her breathing and allow her to focus once again on the task at hand.

“I see you found some relief from the fumes, Carine Monteil,” Livia went on, turning her attention on the Elezen as she emerged from behind Cid’s Reaper. The recognition in the Garlean’s voice, coupled with her name, made her stop in her tracks in surprise.

“You-you know?” she stuttered out, breath hitching in her chest.  _ If she knows...so does Gaius...so does Nero… _

“Oh I know much and more about  _ you, _ ” she sneered. “I must applaud you for your efforts, Carine. To trick not just Nero, but Gaius into believing your innocent nature is quite a feat not many are capable of. Hells, had I not been watching for your reaction during the reveal of the Ultima Weapon, even I would have still been under your alluring spell.”

Her reaction? How  _ had _ she reacted? She had thought she had remained mostly impassive, though she  _ did _ try and disappear at the first opportunity. Wasn’t it a natural reaction to be horrified by something capable of destroying Primals and innocent people?

“I see you’re confused,” Livia shook her head. “You see, most people have not bore witness to the great and raw power of Primals. Even those that have still quake at the very sight of them, myself included.  _ You, _ however, had a moment of recognition as you beheld them and yet there was no fear for Ifrit or Titan or even Garuda. No. You simply feared Ultima itself.”

“A natural reaction, if I say so myself,” Carine shrugged in an attempt to center herself.

“Not so natural when one considers that Ultima should be their saving grace from the constant summoning of beasts that would lay waste to their homeland. Unless, of course, that person need not fear them for they hold the special  _ talent _ for defeating them.”

“Aye, so there’s no need for that monstrosity you and Gaius are hiding beneath the Praetorium, is there?” Cid interjected. “The Eorzeans seem to be handling themselves just fine.”

Livia shook her head and aimed her cannons at the pair of them. “My lord believes otherwise for he has seen the poverty that plagues these lands. A shame that you should be so blind to it, Cid.”

“Are you mad!?” he exclaimed as she began calibrating the weapons for fire. Carine had the feeling that she was mad enough to destroy her own castrum, herself along with it, if it meant pleasing her husband. 

Without second guessing her own actions, Carine climbed up Cid’s Reaper and urged him out. “Disable the generator while I keep her busy,” she told him. 

Once he was out of the soft leather seat, the Elezen took his place. The controls were simple enough at a glance. A large button was what she assumed was the massive cannon located in the “mouth” of the magitek gear while smaller buttons on the joysticks that maneuvered the machine controlled smaller guns. Using those, Carine aimed away from the processing plant and shot at the white Reaper Livia was aiming at them, hoping to disable the cannon she was powering up. Unfortunately the accuracy of the Reaper was shoddy at best, missing their intended target by malms. 

“Thrusters! Use the thrusters!” Cid commanded, making a motion with his foot and hands. Carine repeated the action without results except for the machine backing up like a Chocobo when one pulled on it’s reins. Still she tried, reaching her foot around until she felt a pedal. Stepping on it as she pulled back on the sticks lifted the Reaper into the air, shocking her to being speechless. 

Why in Seven Hells had the Eorzeans not tried to replicate  _ this _ technology?

Hovering in the air, Carine pulled out her bow and took two shots. One was a stunning arrow into the mouth of Livia’s Reaper to disable the cannon within and the other was one of the steel piercing arrows that landed in the Garlean’s shoulder. Even from her altitude the Warrior of Light could hear the angered howl from the woman below and it wasn’t long before she joined her in air. 

With the Tribune’s attention focused solely on her, Carine could focus on drawing her away from Cid and the dangerous ceruleum that would no doubt wipe Castrum Meridianum from the face of Eorzea should it be ignited. She had little time to celebrate that small victory as gunshots behind her urged her into an aerial chase she wasn’t remotely prepared for. 

The Elezen did her best at flying the Reaper, but ultimately she hadn’t the time to learn the technology, and two more shots from the menace behind her compromised the thrusters, sending her to the ground. By sheer luck, or maybe the will of Hydaelyn, Carine was able to jump ship before the Reaper plummeted into the ground. The force of impact made her legs give way and sent her body rolling until it stopped hard against a steel building.

Her tongue throbbed as she swallowed blood from where her teeth had bitten through while she struggled to catch her breath. Livia landed a few yalms away, her Reaper still in perfect working order as Carine staggered to her feet. 

“Foolish savage,” Livia sneered, urging her machine forward. “Long have I fantasized this moment where I could test your powers and your grit. What have you given me instead? A sniveling fool with no idea how to operate a bit of magitek as simple as a bloody Reaper. To think you were married to the engineer that helped design and refine such a weapon.”

With effort, Carine pulled her helmet from her head and dropped it to the ground. Everything ached and throbbed as she wiped the back of her hand against her mouth to rid herself of the trickle of blood there. “And how did my dear husband take the news when you told him? I assume you would considering how badly you wish to be in his position as Gaius’ favorite,” she retorted with a grin. 

“Ah, but you assume wrong, Warrior. Why would I tell Nero that the woman he came to care for was his enemy when I could bring him your head? I find that would be a much more pleasant surprise than announcing it over dinner, wouldn’t you?” 

“And you assume he cares enough to be affected by my head being offered. He might consider it the perfect gift after all the hell I put him through,” Carine smirked. “Besides, I find myself much more interested in what Gaius has to offer.”

At this, the other woman immediately fired at her and roared in rage. Had the Elezen not been expecting that very reaction thanks to Cid’s helpful advice, she would have been shot dead. Instead she was able to roll out of the way just in time, avoiding the deadly projectiles as they pierced through the steel walls. “You will  _ not have him! _ ”

Blinded by her determination to kill the Warrior of Light, Livia fought with reckless abandon, letting loose all her fury in a blaze of bullets and cannon fire. It was all Carine could do to keep up with the blasts as she rolled and dodged out of the way before she found safe harbor behind one sturdy steel barricade. Quickly, she pulled her bow from her back and nocked one of the few blasting arrows she had left and took a deep breath. When the shooting stopped, she stood up and took aim, risking the blast of the cannon powering up at her in favor of shooting the Reaper’s core. 

Her careful aim granted her blessed accuracy as the arrow landed true, exploding on contact with the core of the magitek. Somehow, Livia accounted for this and lept from the erupting machine just in time to avoid the worst of the destruction. 

“You are a  _ parasite _ upon this land,” she spat as she casually strolled towards the Elezen, her rage bubbling just beneath the surface. “You are nothing more than another savage like the rest of them. Yet, just like your own people, Nero and Gaius would hold the Warrior of Light to such high esteem and shower you with their fascination that borders obsession. It defies all reason.”

“Jealous?” Carine tilted her head. “I can give you some pointers, if you would like. First...maybe not murder a bunch of innocent people that have surrendered. Second, try not to be such a crazy bitch.”

Livia took aim with her gun baghnakhs, firing without care of where she hit so long as she did. “You tell me not to murder innocents when you,  _ Warrior of Light, _ slew Rhitahtyn. Exactly how do you justify an ambush on a man that did not raise his blade against your people until your attack?”

Carine’s witty smile faded at that, the familiar pang of guilt aching in her chest at the truth of her words. “He would have at the command of Gaius. He supported the unquestionable rule of the Empire, the enslavement of women to please Garlean men and bare their children. He could hardly be called innocent.”

“So you sought to end his life before he was granted the chance to end your fellows’? When I slew your friends and took your colleagues hostage? When Nero brought Ultima to life?” Livia questioned her, moving closer and closer towards the frozen woman. “Why, it almost sounds as if you were no better than the rest of us.”

The sickly sweetness of her voice in her ear rolled the few contents of Carine’s stomach, nearly making her ill at the thought of what she was suggesting. No, she was  _ nothing _ like them. Unlike the woman before her, slowly raising the razor sharp edge of her baghnakhs, Carine  _ hated _ having to take the life of another, innocent or not. After today, she knew she wasn’t going to be the same. She knew it the moment she had accepted this position. Knew it the moment she had taken Rhitahtyn’s life. She knew it because she knew she would have to take Nero’s as well.

It was for the betterment of Eorzea. The betterment of the realm. The betterment for the women that, unlike her, had suffered horrors at the hands of their forced husbands that she couldn’t begin to imagine. If taking a few lives helped improve those around her, she would carry that burden gladly.

The Warrior of Light clenched her jaw as her eyes snapped back into reality, narrowly dodging the blow the Garlean had begun. Quick as Carine, Livia compensated for the miss by bringing her other arm up into her side, striking her with such force that sent the Elezen staggering backwards. That gave her enough room to nock an arrow and fire, drilling the arrowhead and shaft straight through her armor into her already wounded shoulder. 

With a roar of pain and fury, Livia charged forward in a flurry of fists and feet, using her martial art skills to combat the pesky Eorzean into submission. Somehow the woman was wholly unaffected by the wounds already inflicted upon her as she lay into the Warrior of Light. Carine was not so eager to lay down and take it, drawing her poison coated daggers from her boots once again and meeting the Garlean blow for blow. Neither of them were willing to wield to the other, both gathering a myriad of cuts and scrapes and bruises that would last them several days. 

If they were to survive the other, that is.

Cid had not been lying when he had told her that she would be evenly matched against her. With Rhitahtyn, it was about outwitting him and using his strength against him to gain the upper hand. Livia was not so easy to read and just as quick to act on her anger and emotions as Carine herself. It didn’t help matters that she seemed impervious to the ichor on the Elezen’s blades either, given that she hadn’t slowed since the fight between them began. 

“You best give up, filthy savage,” Livia grunted as her fist connected to her side. 

Carine’s eyes watered with the pain as her ribs bruised from the contact, stars dancing behind her eyes as she twisted out of the way before the Garlean could get a shot off. “And risk disappointing Gaius by being worse than you?”

Livia screamed, rushing at her again. This time the Garlean wasn’t fast enough to avoid the blade that sliced against the opening at her neck, cutting across her flesh with ease. Carine almost let out a cry of relief until she realized she had missed the artery there that would have finished the bloody woman off. With a labored groan, she reached for another arrow as she rounded on her. This time, Livia came in too close and with too much speed to avoid the serrated edge from piercing through her armor and into her chest. 

If anyone had stumbled upon the two of them in that moment, they would have appeared to be almost embracing. Carine looked up at the expressionless mask that was Livia’s helm as she looked down between them at the arrow shaft lodged firmly within her. She fell heavily to her knees, and it took the last of Carine’s strength to lay her gently down on the roadway where they had been fighting just moments before.

Unlike with Rhitahtyn, any words of comfort or promises of redemption died on her lips as she looked down at the Tribune. She had killed innocents that had surrendered and she had done so without remorse. Her job, insofar as she was concerned, was finished with Livia sas Junius. 

Walking back to where she had dropped her helmet, Carine reached down and dusted it off before setting it upon her head, allowing the dying woman time to send warning to her lover with her last breath. 

The Warrior of Light was coming for him.

 

***

 

Gaius’ fist slammed down on the control panel before him, busting the glass that protected many of the important buttons that did important things. Nero flinched in surprise, turning his head to face his mentor now leaning heavily upon the ledge. 

“My lord?” he asked, slowing down in his efforts to power Ultima so that they may finish the battle raging above them now. The Legatus had been adamant since Rhitahtyn’s fall that he bring the machine to life right away, but there had been calibration errors that had slowed them down. To see him become distraught again made the Tribune wonder at it’s cause. 

With surprising speed, Gaius rounded on the man, jabbing a gloved finger into his chest piece. “You  _ will _ go out there and  _ destroy _ that Warrior of Light, even if it is the last thing you do!” he bellowed, pushing him backwards with the force. “They will pay for what they have done this night.”

Nero furrowed his brow and glanced up at the screens that Gaius was now looking at so stoically, almost as if he hadn’t allowed a moment of rage to pass over him. What his eyes beheld, however, showed that it wasn’t anger, but grief as he found the Warrior of Light stepping over the fallen body of Livia just outside the Praetorium entrance. Without delay, he knelt before his Legatus, bowing low in submission. 

“I shall endeavor to not fail you, your Excellency,” he vowed, rising up with Gaius’ permission. 

“See to it that you don’t. And if you are to fail, then allow me time to finish calibrating Ultima for our takeover.”

Nero nodded and turned on his heel to leave the room and head for the elevator that would bring him to where this pesky Warrior would be waiting. He had no illusions that he could defeat them in combat, he had bore witness to their talents against the eikons afterall. A shame that Livia couldn’t have been more pragmatic otherwise the success of his superior’s endeavor wouldn’t rest entirely on his shoulders. 

_ Must I always be the one to clean up everyone else’s mess? _ He thought to himself on the long ride up from deep within the bowels of the Praetorium. Of course, he didn’t mind having it this way at all. If  _ he _ were the one the defeat the infamous Warrior of Light in combat, he would ultimately be labeled a hero in Garlean society. He would  _ finally _ be out of the shadow of Cid nan Garlond and shown the appreciation he has deserved ever since his former  _ friend _ betrayed his own people. 

Yet still as the elevator climbed higher, he couldn’t help but quake at the anticipation. Nero had no intention of losing his life here today, even if Gaius demanded it of him. There were far too many things he had yet to discover and test and he would be  _ damned _ if he couldn’t witness the raw power of Ultima firsthand. He had toiled far too long and hard, had lost  _ her _ because of his commitment to the bloody thing, he might as well enjoy the effort. 

Upon reaching the summit of his ride, the Garlean strolled forward with determination, calibrating the magitek on his gauntlet to listen in on any conversations happening nearby on linkpearls. As he reached one of the many demonstration rooms of the laboratory, the static voice of Cid became more and more clear as he directed his friend through the maze from one of the many control rooms that littered the place. It made his job easier as he leaned against his precious gunhammer, Mjolnir, waiting for the Warrior to blast their way through the door currently separating them.

“It seems you have been leaving a fine mess of things in your wake,  _ Warrior, _ ” he said, lifting his head to examine them as they entered the room. He noticed how they startled at the sound of his voice, pausing in their march long enough to search the room for him.

He graced them with his presence, leaving his weapon behind in favor of stepping into the light to get a closer look. “And my, what a mess you have made of yourself.”

It wasn’t a lie or an exaggeration in his eyes. Her leathers were ripped and torn, the cloth beneath charred at their edges and stained with blood. He wrinkled his nose as he scented the air. Clearly she had been near the ceruleum processing plant recently, making it difficult for him to tell whether or not that was her blood on her clothes, or the blood of the Garleans and their conscripts she had slain to get this far. 

_ “Is someone there?” _ Cid’s voice crackled in his ear, letting him know he had successfully hacked their connection.

Nero grinned to himself as he twisted the dial on his arm. “Garlond! My old friend. How good it is to hear your voice! How long has it been?” he replied, interrupting the lithe woman before she could reach up to her own helmet. “Why, it almost warms the heart.”

_ “Nero?” _ he could hear the surprise in the traitor’s voice at his answer, spreading his lips into a wider grin. 

“I would not have thought this savage land would agree with one of such  _ privileged _ birth,” he went on to say, blatantly ignoring the Warrior standing before him. She hadn’t made a move for her own weapons so clearly she didn’t consider him a threat. A shame it would be her undoing. “Tell me, Garlond, how is my precious  _ wife _ these days?”

_ “You don’t have to do this, Nero. We could have use of you and your talents with the Scions. It isn’t too late to make amends with her either,” _ Cid pleaded through the link. 

The Garlean rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Ah, but that is where you are wrong, my friend. It isn’t I that needs to make amends, oh no. She was the one to break the treaty. She was the one to leave. Nay, the time for caring about making amends is long past for both of us.”

_ “There is always time. If you would just-” _ and with that, Nero cut the connection with a simple twist, watching with unadulterated joy as the Warrior before him bent low in agony at the screeching he left in her ear before she managed to disconnect the device. 

“Sorry, my dear. Forgive me for such a rude interruption. You see, I’ve been having a rather bad day,” he grunted as he went to another dial on his gauntlet, calling upon his gunhammer. His efforts were rewarded as the unique piece of magitek hurled through the air, striking the warrior where they stood and sending her straight into a wall. He called Mjolnir back to him, relishing in the anguished gasp that it tore from her throat. 

She dropped to her knees and gripped her stomach, coughing and sputtering as he circled in closer. Something about her was familiar,  _ too _ familiar. As in, he felt that he knew this woman standing in front of him by the way she moved. Oh, he had seen her fight before, but there was something about her he just couldn’t quite place. Curiosity drove him to moving closer, to get a better look at the specimen before him. 

With his guard down, the savage attacked, slashing her blades at him with the intensity and speed he knew she possessed. If she had been using weapons worth a damn, the Eorzean would have done serious damage in the flurry of attacks, but her steel grazed harmlessly against his armor. He countered her ferocity, blocking each of her frenzied attacks with relative ease. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were pulling your punches,” Nero growled as he grasped her wrist to stop an incoming blow. The motion put them face to face, allowing him a moment to peer into her helm for a chance at discovering who this fated hero was, but much like the Garlean armor, hers hid her face too well. 

What it didn’t hide, however, was her scent. 

It was subtle, hiding under thick layers of sweat, dirt, blood and the strong acidic smell of ceruleum, but it was there. The sweet, gentle, feminine fragrance of her was etched into his mind for eternity to taunt him. He released the woman, pushing her back and as far away from him as his strength allowed. It couldn’t be.  _ She _ couldn’t be...

With a mighty bellow, Nero reached for his gunhammer. He swung it hard and fast, taking advantage of her indecision to catch her square beneath the jaw. Her body flew through the air, sending her back into another wall where she slid into a heap on the ground. The Garlean stalked after her, gritting his teeth as he knelt down to tear the bloody helmet from her head. He would not believe it was  _ her, _ not until he bore witness with his own two eyes that it was so. 

Silvery-white locks fell in tangled waves as the helmet fell from his hand to the floor. Two large, lilac eyes lifted up to him and brought his heart to a stop within his chest as he stepped backwards in complete and utter disbelief. That sly, devious pull at her full lips nearly brought him to his knees, but it was the sound of her voice that made it all a painful reality.

“So...do you want to tell me about your day?”


	21. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _That is where you're wrong...Everything's changed..._

Pregnant silence hung in the air between them, neither wishing to make a move in fear of how the other might react. It was all Nero could do to stare at her in disbelief and bewilderment after removing his helm, his mind unable to comprehend what his eyes were seeing. Carine watched him carefully, the slight smile dissipating almost as quickly as it had appeared as worry, doubt, and even guilt flitted behind her eyes.

She was truly here, right in front of him giving him the perfect opportunity to lash out in his anger and betrayal at her leaving. It seemed nigh impossible that she would have come all this way after the way things had been left, making him believe it was likely not of her own volition. He wanted to choke her, strangle her for the fury she had single handedly placed within him that defied all logic and reason, yet as he watched blood drip from the cut on her brow, a wound  _ he _ had inflicted upon her, he found he couldn’t.

“What is this? Some sort of  _ diversion? _ ” Nero asked, finally breaking the silence. He paced quickly, back and forth, running his hands through his golden hair all while shaking his head. “Did the Scions put you up to this? To distract me from finding the Warrior of Light?”

It seemed the most logical tactic. If they thought for even a minute that she would halt him with her presence, there was no doubt they would use that to their advantage. It would allow Cid to guide the  _ true _ Warrior through the Praetorium around whatever  _ this _ was so they could get at Gaius and Ultima. It was clever enough that he considered applauding them for the effort. 

“I don’t know whether to be impressed with my ability to keep a secret from you or insulted that you truly don’t believe me capable of being the Warrior of Light…” she muttered softly, using the back of her hand to wipe away the blood now slowly working its way closer to her eye. 

Nero furiously shook his head, stomping towards her with a pointed finger and yelled, “I  _ saw _ your fear! I  _ held _ you the night Ifrit was defeated! It couldn’t have... _ you _ couldn’t have been the one to face him!”

Carine winced, though whether it be from his tone or the memory, Nero couldn’t tell. Either way, she turned away from him. The guilty motion made his hands shake and his heart pound. Every ounce of self control was used to keep him from reaching for her, to caress her cheek in comfort... 

And yet he still wanted to kill her in the same breath. 

“I did what I had to do to survive. I-I didn’t know then that I could do all of...whatever it is I can do. I swear to you, I didn’t,” she pleaded with him, moving to her knees as she looked up with apologetic eyes. “This...none of this is what I wanted…”

The break in her voice broke him of indecision. His eyes narrowed into furious slits as he reached down to grasp her by her throat, lifting her with ease from the ground before shoving her against the cold steel wall. “ _ Liar. _ ”

The Elezen’s fingers grasped at his gauntlets, their pads tearing with desperation against the sharp metal as he choked the very life from her lungs. He had swore to himself that she would pay for all the trouble she had caused him. Nero hadn’t known then that she was behind everything else, but now that she was here before him, he would be  _ damned _ if he failed Gaius for  _ her. _

Carine kicked her legs helplessly against him, trying to make any contact that could distract him long enough to drop her, but he was far too enraged to pay any mind to her struggle. Pain and anger in equal measure clashed in the icy blue depths of his eyes, reigniting the guilt she had tried suppressing for the last few days. She deserved this, she knew that, but she couldn’t let him win. 

Her vision swam as she reached out her fingers to caress his cheek, tears rolling down her own as he flinched at the contact.  _ I’m so sorry… _ she thought as she pulled forth the energy within her to shock him with lightning. Had she been a stronger mage, she probably could have injured or incapacitated him, but all her magic had done was loosen his grip and sent him staggering backwards. 

She coughed and choked as she inhaled the precious air that had been denied her. Carine knew she didn’t have much time before Nero would be back at her, most likely with the gunhammer he had already struck her with twice, so she scrambled to her feet in preparation. 

“I have endured injustice far too long,  _ Carine, _ ” Nero spat as he regained control of his senses. “From walking in the shadows of Cid nan  _ bloody _ Garlond to now failing to realize my very  _ wife _ was the enemy from the start.” He called upon his gunhammer, somehow controlling it to come to him with his gauntlet in a way she hadn’t seen other Garleans do. “Long have I watched the Warrior of Light; followed their every move and relished in their every victory. Yet all this time, it was  _ you. _ ”

“Careful, Nero. I might start to believe you actually cared for me,” she said, glancing up at him. For the past few days she had questioned whether or not the man had felt something for her, but looking at him now told her the truth she had longed to deny. There was no mistaking the raw pain of betrayal in his eyes as he glared at her from across the room. There was no denying the fury in his pressed lips as he squared up to face her. And though he didn’t know that she knew of his past and his desperation to be wanted, somehow she knew her leaving him had been the worst injustice of them all.  

“Care?” Nero tilted his head to the side almost thoughtfully before shrugging. “There was a time I  _ might _ have cared, little bird. I can assure you, that time has passed.”

With those words, Nero swung his mighty hammer to strike her down. Carine narrowly avoided the blow, hopping just out of reach while reaching for her bow and one of the armor piercing arrows at her back. She didn’t want to have to use them, but it was clear he wasn’t walking away without a fight. 

Never once had she questioned his combat ability. The Garlean had to be a spectacular fighter based on his rank and position, but she hadn’t quite realized just how good he was until she was at the other end of his weapon. Like Rhitahtyn, Nero was  _ strong. _ He had to be to wield that hammer, but he didn’t rely on strength alone. He sacrificed the defense of a shield in favor of having speed, using the momentum of his hammer attacks to swing his body around as if it were a weapon itself. And, unlike the other two generals she had faced earlier, he had watched her every battle and knew her on an intimate level that they did not. 

Not only was the Garlean strong and fast, but the man was  _ smart. _ He was careful and calculated in his assault, even through his anger and rage. His callous eyes watched her every move, followed her every pattern, and accounted for every attack she sought to land. All the knowledge he had acquired when he had watched her fight the Primals, he used against her with such precise skill it was almost as if they had fought each other before.  

She only shot two arrows, hoping to slow him down. The first glanced off his shoulder, scratching the red steel, while the other struck his hand. He broke the shaft easily, pulling it from his flesh and tossed it to the ground before taking aim and firing several shots off in her direction. The smoke gave her blessed shelter long enough to pull the daggers sheathed in her boots. He continued his shots, not caring where his ammunition struck so long it struck her, bringing the Elezen to the dreadful conclusion that he wasn’t going to stop until she was dead. 

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Carine called out, taking to the shadows cast by the support pillars that lined the edges of the room. 

“Oh but it does, little bird. You stand between me and the recognition that is rightfully mine!” he countered, sending his hammer through the pillar she was hiding behind. 

Carine rolled out of the way as chunks of metal bent and screeched from the force of the blow. Her chest rose and fell with quick succession as she fought to catch her breath and center her mind. “Don’t make me kill you.” 

“As if you could.”

Hot tears stung at her eyes at his words because she knew she had no other choice. Pray and beg and plead as she might, nothing would quell the anger she had stoked within him. The Warrior of Light squeezed her eyes shut and let the tears fall down her face as she ignored her breaking heart. This wasn’t  _ her _ Nero. 

This was a man who would step on everyone else to push himself higher in Garlean society rather than reach out to the downtrodden like he himself had been. This was a man that could build a weapon capable of destroying entire nations and justify not seeing the blood on his own hands because he didn’t pull the trigger. This was Nero  _ tol _ Scaeva, Tribune of the XIVth Legion. He’d rather feel glory than any form of real love.

Carine clenched her jaw, fingers gripping the hilts of her daggers as she squared her shoulders and turned to face him. There was no tenderness in his gaze, no gentleness to his smile as he smirked at her from across the room. That was good. That made it easier to bear. 

Quick as lightning, the Warrior of Light darted towards him, brandishing her blades in an obvious frontal attack. The arrogant Garlean moved to block her, only for the deft Elezen to feint to the left, slicing the steel of her blade against his exposed side. Though wounded, Nero brought his elbow back behind him, jabbing her in the back with the pointed end of his gauntlet. 

But that opened him up on the other side. Carine used this opportunity to strike at him again and use her long legs to throw him off balance. Keeping him on the defensive gave her the upper hand as she sought to disable the magitek on his arm that allowed him to control that bloody hammer. 

With his weapon useless for the moment, Carine was able to control the fight in her favor. Mostly. Nero was still just as strong and fast, meeting her blow for blow and compensating for her every attack.

“Tell me,  _ Warrior, _ where are your Light weapons now? I have  _ so _ longed to see them up close and personal,” he grunted as he forced her backwards. 

“Trust me, you really rather wouldn’t,” she retorted as she turned to kick him in the jaw. He caught her mid swing and used his own leg to sweep her off balance, sending her to the floor. 

“Oh, but I do. I imagine the power of the Echo within you might be of great use to the Garleans.”

With the air knocked out of her and the throbbing in the back of her head thanks to the cold metal floor that had  _ not _ cushioned her fall, it was all Carine could do to roll over and watch as he grabbed his weapon and slowly approached her. “Nero...please…”

His change of mind scared her far more than the thought of dying. If the Garleans could use her abilities...there would be no hope of rebellion against them. No matter how badly she didn’t want to kill him, that wasn’t a future she would allow to come to pass. Not if she could help it. 

Nero brought his hammer over his head, his aim unclear from where she lay now upon the ground. With what little magic she had left within her, Carine called forth a ball of fire large enough to send the Garlean staggering backwards. Before he could recover, the Warrior of Light was upon him, legs wrapped around his waist as she brought her elbow into the side of his neck again and again until he fell beneath her. 

She scrambled over him, pressing the cold steel of her dagger to his neck as she straddled his chest. Her chest heaved with each breath as she glared down at him and her hands shook as she held him there. Purple eyes clashed with blue in a moment that seemed stretched into an eternity as he surrendered to her.

“Go on. Do it. End my miserable existence like you have for everyone else,” he urged her, lips set into a hard grimace while swallowing against the blade at his throat. “Kill me.”

Carine stared down at him, lips trembling as she gathered her courage. It wouldn’t be hard. Just a quick movement where she was would sever that artery and end almost all of her troubles…

But his cold eyes watched her and  _ waited _ for her to do what she knew needed to be done. Eyes that she remembered watching her from across the room of their apartment when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. Eyes that had seen her vulnerable. Eyes that had watched her come undone. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Nero growled, reaching up with both his hands to stop her from looking away. “You  _ will _ look at me.”

Specks of blood, her blood, dripped onto his face as he held her gaze and pressed the soft flesh of his throat closer to her blade. All the physical wounds she had caused him lined and mottled his face, but nothing cut her deeper than the emotional pain she had put him through. He knew it too, it’s why he wanted her to look at him as she stole his life. He wanted the memory of his death to haunt her forever.

With a scream of grief, Carine raised her blade high over her head and brought it down with all the force that she could muster. Tears flowed freely down her face, dripping from her chin as anguished sobs shook her frame. Quick as she could, she stood up, eager to put as much distance between her and him as possible. The Warrior of Light didn’t make it far before she stumbled to her knees, electing to stay there and wipe the distress from her face as she sought to collect herself. 

She didn’t know how long she sat there, hugging her knees to her chest before she heard his armor scrape against the metal floor of the room they were in. She closed her eyes, squeezing them tightly shut as she hid her face in her arms, flinching away as she felt the hilt of her dagger tap against her shoulder.

“Why?”

Fresh waves of tears rolled down her cheeks at the break in Nero’s voice as he stood behind her. “Because I can’t kill you.”

He dropped the weapon she refused to take, it’s metal clattering against the floor in favor of seizing her by the shoulders. With impressive strength, he pulled her to her feet and spun her around to face him. She tried to look away, anywhere but those cold blue eyes that sought the truth from her soul, but he grasped her chin with one hand and forced him to meet his gaze. 

_ “Why?” _

“Because I fucking can’t! Not after everything you have done for me,” she screamed at him, shoving the Garlean away with what strength she had left.  _ Not after what you stirred within me… _

Nero allowed her space, his brow puckered as he frowned at her response. What had he been expecting her to say? Carine wouldn’t admit to feeling something for him. Love or lust or whatever, she wouldn’t deny that there had been  _ something _ there. But he was a Garlean hellbent on the destruction of her homeland and she was the Warrior of Light and determined to stop him at all costs.

All costs except his life. 

“You’ll disappoint them if you let me go,” he warned her through hardened eyes. “They will likely not forget that.”

“And Gaius will kill you if you don’t kill me,” she reminded him. “I doubt he would allow this insubordination to slide.”

“Are you asking me to kill you?” 

Carine scoffed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she shook her head. “Could you?”

The Garlean said nothing as they looked longingly at each other from across the way. He didn’t have to for she already knew. And knowing that he couldn’t harm her in this moment made her ache to bury her face in his chest and put this all behind them. Unfortunately there were just some things that she couldn’t allow, and Nero was far too ambitious of a man to simply forgive and forget.  

“Go. Take what soldiers are willing to retreat and leave,” she told him, pointing towards the door she had entered from. “There’s a pipe that leads out of the castrum along the western wall that will allow you to avoid most of the fighting.”

Nero opened his mouth to protest and immediately shut it again. Whatever complaint or argument he had for her died on his lips as he looked between her and the door. She knew which choice he was going to make, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Nero was a survivor, a man that looked out for number one. Himself. To stay within the Praetorium would mean certain death for him now that he had failed to defeat her in combat. Even if Gaius succeeded, Nero would most likely be demoted for being unable to successfully carry out the mission his superior had given him. 

For a man that was always looking to climb higher, death or demotion weren’t options. 

“This changes  _ nothing, _ ” he hissed as he passed by her, grasping the handle of his hammer and swinging it up on his shoulder. 

_ That’s where you’re wrong, _ she thought, fresh tears welling in her eyes as he moved further and further away from her.  _ Everything’s changed. _

Almost as if he had heard her, the Garlean paused at the door. For a moment, Carine held her breath in hopes that he would come back to her and give her any pointers that might put her at the advantage against Ultima. It was a hopeless thought for Ultima was his magnum opus - the creation he thought would win him the love of everyone in Garlemald. To give her any hint to destroy something so precious to him would be as if he destroyed it himself. It mattered not if it was for the greater good, it wasn’t for  _ his _ greater good.  

“You can’t win,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Ultima should be activated by now. Not even you can withstand its might.”

She quickly hid her disappointment with a smirk, feigning confidence as she replied, “I think I might surprise you.”

Nero only shook his head slowly, avoiding her sanguine smile. “I think you’re an idiot.”

With that he disappeared down the corridor, leaving the Warrior of Light behind with a fading smile and a hole in her heart.


	22. Ultima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“But you. You are not weak. Nay, I have heard of your strength and I need no proof for you stand before me despite all those that have opposed you. Why then, do you not lead them?”_

****

_ “Carine? Can you hear me? Am I coming through?” _ Cid’s voice sparked back to life in her ear after the Elezen had taken time to collect herself before turning the blasted thing back on. 

“Yeah, I hear you,” she muttered, more to herself than to answer him. Honestly, she wasn’t feeling up to talking at present, given everything that had just happened. 

_ “And what of Nero?” _

Carine knew that would have been the primary question, as it damn well should have been, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. “He’s not a problem any longer.”

Blessed silence answered her as she wound her way through the maze of the Praetorium. Though she needed the Garlean to help guide her through the laboratory, Carine was thankful that he remained silent. Well... _ mostly _ silent. 

_ “Are you alright, lass?” _ he asked her, his voice writ with concern and pain. It was clear that he had misinterpreted what she had meant by Nero no longer being a problem, and it gave her pause. She had every reason to believe that he would never show his face in Eorzea again. He had hated it, that much was clear from the time that she had moved in with him all those months ago. The chances of him returning to Garlemald were slim as well after such an epic failure on his part to stop the dreaded Warrior of Light from destroying one of their prized possessions. 

Would it be  _ so _ wrong of her to try and mitigate the damaged on  _ her _ end? As it was now, she had just let a powerful enemy go free without consequence from her people. While the Scions themselves would likely not hold her in high account for such an action, given the intimacy of her situation, the Alliance leaders were likely not to be so kind. They had, in fact, almost handed her over to Gaius without a second thought to save their own people. She didn’t blame them, of course, but it had been her relationship and closeness to Nero that had nearly swayed their decision before giving her a chance to defend herself. 

“I-I will be…” she admitted. There was no lie in her words or her conviction on the matter. Carine was  _ not _ alright, not right now. With the fate of her country resting solely on her shoulders and the crushing realization that there  _ wasn’t _ a part of Nero worth caring for, how could she be? What she did know was that things would be better. 

Starting with the defeat of Gaius van Baelsar.

_ “I’ll be here for you when the smoke settles, lass,” _ Cid responded, emotion heavy in his voice. It seemed they might be in need of each other before this night was through.  _ “For now, there is a massive power surge below where you are currently standing. Gaius is surely to be there. Keep going straight and take a right. A lift will take you straight to him.” _

Carine nodded, not that Cid could see, but she didn’t trust herself to speak anymore on the subject. Obediently, she followed his instruction and waited for him to hack into the operating system of the lift. It was a tedious journey with little to occupy her mind other than reminisce on the one person she desperately didn’t want lingering there. Instead, she chose to count what was left of her special arrows and take one of the few potions she had left during her reprieve. If Gaius was anything like the others, she was going to need all the strength she could get to see him defeated. 

_ “Carine? Lass? I’m getting a lot of static from you on this end-” _ Carine could barely make out the words the Garlean was telling her as she descended lower into the bowels of the Praetorium. Fear clutched at her heart at the thought of losing his reassuring voice in her ear, leaving her to face the dreaded Legatus all on her own. 

“Is there anything you can do?” she asked, silently kicking herself for the break in her voice. How very heroic of her. 

_ “I can...reconfigure...might take…” _ the static grew worse and worse until it ended with,  _ “Just don’t die on me, lass. You’re too bloody useful.” _

Carine wasn’t sure whether or not she was supposed to find that statement as a vote of confidence towards her ability as a warrior or be offended that was all she was good for. Nonetheless, the linkpearl was no longer working which meant she would have to wait and find out once she was done here. 

The Warrior of Light didn’t have long to wonder, however, as a sudden surge on the platform caused her to look across the way. She squinted her eyes in the darkness, trying to make out the shape of whatever or whoever had joined her journey until the unmistakable form of Gaius appeared from the shadows. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel the way they traversed over her body, scrutinizing every little detail and flaw that she had now that he truly saw her. Her mouth set into a hard line as he casually strolled closer, preparing herself for any trick the Garlean might have up his sleeve.

“I should have known it was you,” he began, the mask muffling the deep tenor of his voice. “So few of your kind are wont to look away and tremble in my presence. All but you.”

“Mama always taught me to face my fears head on. I don’t make a habit of disappointing her, I’m afraid,” she shot back. 

Gaius shook his head slowly back and forth, almost in disappointment. “Tell me...for whom do you fight?”

Carine paused at that, shocked at the sincerity of his strange question. Wasn’t it obvious? “I fight for Eorzea, for the freedom of her people and the women from the Empire’s oppressive thumb.” 

“Hmph,” she could feel his callous glare bearing down on her from across the platform. “As if you could attest to our  _ oppressive _ nature. You, the Eorzean that was allowed free reign to do as she pleased. You, the woman who tested the waters on both sides before finally making a decision and dedicating yourself to a cause. You, the wife that was allowed to say no. What do you know of Garlemald’s oppression?”

The familiar bubble of anger welled within her, forcing the Elezen to bite her tongue until the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. She would not allow her emotions to consume her now, not when everything was so painfully close to coming to an end. “I have no trouble admitting that the Twelve and Hydaelyn favored me over other brides. It is a fact I do not cherish, not at at their expense.” 

“I see,” he said, crossing his arms. “Then tell me, do you believe in Eorzea?”

She watched him cautiously, eyeing for any strange movement that could be an unforeseen attack, however Gaius looked completely at ease as he regarded her in kind. She didn’t like just how calm and collected he was, as if he weren’t preparing for a fight at all, at least not one involving weapons that weren’t words. 

“I’m afraid you have lost me. Why would I fight for something I didn’t believe in?” she dared ask, slightly relaxing her own stance. 

With one heavy step after another, the metal of his armor clinking against the metal of the lift, the Garlean walked up to her to look at her face to face. “Eorzea’s unity is based on deceit and forged in false-hoods. The city-states are crumbling at their very foundation and yet they turn a blind eye to those in need. Eorzea’s faith is an instrument of destruction to those desperate enough to believe the cobweb of lies that forged what you believe to be a great nation. To believe in Eorzea is to believe in nothing.”

The weight of his words seemed to crush her, forcing the Elezen to avert her eyes though her pride pleaded not to. He was exaggerating, he had to be. Carine had traveled between each city-state hundreds of times in her life. She knew there were those that were suffering, but likewise she knew there were people to help. And if the Alliance leaders didn’t care about the people within their borders, they wouldn’t have risked all to keep them free from the Empire’s grasp. 

“You’re wrong,” Carine replied with a firm shake of her head. 

“Is that so?” he cocked his head to the side thoughtfully at her response. “The beast tribes are wont to call upon their gods in their greatest time of need, yet your comrades rarely respond in kind. Strange, is it not? Are the  _ Twelve _ otherwise engaged that they cannot be bothered to save the people that worship them with their every breath? I was lead to believe they were your protectors. If you and the rest of your kind truly believe them to be your guardians, why not call upon them to rain down their wrath upon the Empire?”

Carine hadn’t expected an attempt to sway her in her religious beliefs, so any words that could have argued against him died on her lips. “And what, pray tell, does that have to do with your plans, Gaius? Is that your ultimate goal? To have us all worship the machines you and yours have created rather than have blind faith in our own gods?”

“Foolish girl,” he scolded. “Do you truly not see the error of your beliefs? If your gods were the benevolent beings you believed them to be, why is there poverty amongst you? Nero told me once that you worshipped the Matron, yes?”

“I still fail to see-”

“Nophica, the goddess of abundance, is she not? Yet there are children starving on the streets crying out her name whilst their stomachs gnaw on their spines. Why does she not answer their pleas? Why has she not been summoned to feed them? I know the answer, Warrior of Light, but do you?”

Carine swallowed hard as her mind tried to sort through the cryptic message the Legatus was delivering to her and failing miserably. She was never one to question the intentions of the Twelve, she simply worshipped them and did what she expected they wanted her to do. For the most part, in her experience, others did the same and no harm came of it. 

“No, Gaius. I do not.”

The lift they were on came to a sudden halt as they finally reached the bottom of the Praetorium and the lair of Ultima. Though she could feel the eerie presence of the weapon somewhere nearby as it distorted the aether surrounding it, Carine made no move to seek out the source. She may not have known the answer to his question, but she knew any move she made from this moment on would be seen as a threat. 

“It appears Nero did a poor job of explaining the need for the Empire’s interference with your precious land,” Gaius sighed heavily, genuinely disgruntled at her lack of response. “The answer is that you could call upon your gods right now should you have the faith and the aether crystals to do so. They would do your bidding to make your fight easier so long as you continue to lavish them with blind devotion and aether laden crystals. Alas, the poor cannot afford them and the rich are wise enough not to resort to the actions of the beastmen, knowing their faith would be just as destructive.”

Perhaps he had a point. Honestly, it had never once crossed Carine’s mind to summon one of the Twelve, even after she had learned the vital role crystals played in the part, but she had never been in a position that she  _ needed _ to either. Just the thought of the number of refugees gathering together in Ul’dah, driven from their homeland into another unforgiving desert without aid, harboring crystals with the desire to summon Rhalgr was enough to send chills down her spine. “Thankfully that hasn’t been our problem.”

“Yet,” he told her. “Give it time and it will be if your people don’t find a way to placate their base tendencies.”

“Right, because taking women against their will and marrying them off to abusive soldiers for breeding purposes is a better alternative,” Carine snapped. Red lights began flashing, a warning of some sort. Most likely it was her cue that she was running out of time to stop that weapon from launching onto the battle raging above them right now.

“That may be the Empire’s primary goal, but it does not reflect my own. In order for Garleans to truly thrive, there must be a world on which they can do so. That is why I tasked myself with the liberation of Eorzea from the false pretenses that shield its eyes from the truth. That is why I have sought you out, to open your eyes that you might join me in this endeavor and show your people I am not the enemy they believe me to be.”

“Yeah, well, that giant weapon the promises death and destruction seems to prove otherwise,” she quickly pointed out, nodding to the giant doors behind him. 

Her blatant disapproval seemed to stir anger with the man as she noticed his fists clench at his sides. “You would continue to see me as the enemy when I would house your poor and feed those starving? When I would take those that cannot do for themselves and shape them into productive members of society? Would you so prefer for them to die at your gates begging for food and shelter rather than give them the basic needs and tools for survival? A wonder they call you a hero.”

“Says the man that takes women from their mothers and fathers and even their husbands in favor of breeding to an abusive Garlean. The same man that would push that woman from the very residence he forced her to live in for five years should she not produce viable Garlean offspring. You would ask her then to sell her children, those that weren’t ‘true’ Garleans in favor of living a decent life after pushing all her family and friends from her. I doubt that is truly a greater alternative.” Carine reached for her bow and an explosive arrow, nocking it in anticipation for his anger that she could now feel coming off of him in ways. 

“Such glib coming from the woman that let her enemy walk free despite having orders not to do so,” he growled as he pulled his gunlance from his back. “We are the same, you and I. Two people whose vision seeks the ideal, yet used by others to achieve their goals. Do you think I wish to fight and kill those that stand in my way? I do, only as much as you wish to kill those that stand in yours.”

The Warrior of Light hesitated at his words, the truth ringing painfully clear in her mind. Still, the way he was handling everything, threatening death and destruction in favor of gaining control of Eorzea... _ that _ was wrong. Carine wouldn’t consider such an act against his people, not that she would ever make an attempt to subjugate Garlemald. 

“True as your word may be, we are still opposite sides of a coin. That will not change. You would lead with violence whereas those in Eorzea would lead with peace.”

“You consider turning to the Twelve, eikons same as the beastmen’s gods, a peaceful solution? A fool to the end, I see. Your masters are weak, Warrior. I will not suffer them,” he waved his arm. “But you. You are not weak. Nay, I have heard of your strength and I need no proof for you stand before me despite all those that have opposed you. Why then, do you not lead them?”

Carine was finding it increasingly difficult to believe he was asking her these things to stall her. The man was intelligent, of that there was no denying, but he was sincere in the same breath as he interrogated her. He truly believed he was the savior to save them all, unless  _ she _ chose to take up that mantle. Here was a conqueror before her, asking what should have been the most simple of questions for her to answer. 

Yet her answer would not satisfy him. She was no leader and never had the desire to be. She had strength, yes, but she couldn’t trust her raging emotions to handle every problem that would be thrown her way. The Scions, Minfilia, they were much better equipped to think things through before acting on them than she was. Where they would sit and think of a logical and reasonable way to solve a problem, the Elezen would charge through head first and care about the consequences later. The people of Eorzea deserved better than that.

“Seems you don’t know me very well at all, otherwise you would know why I choose to follow orders,” she shrugged. 

Gaius released a heavy sigh, his face turning from hers for the first time since he had jumped onto her platform. She had disappointed him. Deliberately, Gaius reached for the gunlance at his back, drawing the blade and pointing it at her with intent. Naturally, Carine clenched the bow in her hand, fingers itching to release the arrow nocked as she waited for him to make his move. 

“When the dust settles, it is ever the strong that dictate the weak. A lesson, I fear, I must teach you now.”

The Warrior of Light barely allowed him to finish his sentence before releasing her arrow. A grin quirked at her lips as the arrow detonated within the barrel of his gunlance, sending the Garlean staggering backwards. What she would have given to see the look on his face as he glanced down at the useless weapon in his hands. She imagined it would have made her evening, trumping even the defeat of Livia. 

“You know what they say? How old dogs can learn new tricks? I would be willing to show you, if you’ve a mind?” she taunted him.

Rather than attack her as she had been expecting, Gaius simply turned and strode towards the large metal doors. With a wave of his hand over the control panel, the doors hissed, rising higher and higher to reveal the Ultima Weapon within. 

When Carine had seen the abomination before, it had been from a distance. To see it without that distance between them stole her breath away. It towered over the Garlean, who was not small by any means, making him appear as an ant easily crushed. Thick, metal plating made up the creature, leaving no room for weakness that was discernible to the Warrior of Light as she followed cautiously behind him. How in Seven Hells she was supposed to stop that thing from powering up, she had no idea. Even if she had a hundred of her special arrows left to target that monstrosity, she doubted they would phase it. 

Gaius paused at another control panel, setting his hand on the screen until it recognized him. Before she could collect her wit, the platform he was on lifted, taking him straight to the head of Ultima. Alarms blared in her ear, screaming that her time was up as metal clanking began shaking the walls around her. At once, the ground she stood on shifted, lifting the weapon and other occupants on the platform towards the sky that could not yet be seen from where they were below.

“You don’t want to do this, Gaius. There are other ways,” Carine called out, pleading with him to buy her more time to figure out how to win this fight. If he heard her, he didn’t show it as he entered the beast, powering it up and taking control of it to face her down. 

The underbelly of Ultima began to glow as it roared to life, pulsing with sinister red light as its limbs began to move. Its face, draconic in appearance, looked down upon her - almost mocking her with how tiny and frail she was in comparison. Gaius knew he was unstoppable in that thing, and Carine knew it as well. 

“Only a man of power can steer the course of civilization. You have such power, yet you lack the resolve to put it to good use. A waste,” the Legatus told her, his voice booming forth from the weapon within his control. “That leaves the salvation of this blighted land to me.”

Without warning a laser beam shot forth from the monstrosity, narrowly missing the Warrior of Light as she nimbly dodged out of the way. Carine threw a glance behind her, eyes widening at the sight of the deep gash left by the weapon on the platform. The metal had melted on contact, blazing orange with molten heat in the wake of the attack - a grim reminder of what would become of her.

Over and over again she was forced to circle the platform, thankful for her speed and dexterity over the machine. It came down to a race against time. Would the Warrior of Light be able to find a weakness to Ultima before the platform reached its peak? Or would she run out of energy and be caught by the laser and cannons currently aimed in her direction? With all the exertion she had put her body through to even get to this point, it was a miracle she was standing. 

Her chest ached and her lungs burned from needing oxygen. The platform was all but destroyed beneath them, making the battle more perilous than ever before, even for Gaius. The Garlean seemed to notice this, pausing in his assault to keep them from tumbling to their deaths. 

It was then that Carine noticed they were no longer alone. 

On the shoulder of the Ultima Weapon, another figure appeared in a billow of black smoke. Dressed in robes of pitch and donning the red mask of Lahabrea, Thancred revealed himself to her. Carine’s heart lurched within her chest at the sight of him, even if the man before her held none of the familiar kindness she knew of the Midlander she called her friend. 

“You can’t defeat her. Not like that,” Lahabrea spoke, distorting the voice of her fellow Scion. The sound of it grated against her ears, making her clench her jaw to distract herself from it as she tried to listen to the exchange. 

“You said Ultima cannot be defeated. How then, can it not defeat her?” Gaius demanded from within the beast. 

The Ascian shook his head, smirking the entire time as though he knew something they all certainly didn’t. “She is shielded by Light. Anything you will do she can withstand. Break that shield and nothing shall stand in your way.”

Oh right, her Blessing from Hydaelyn. Amazing how easy it was to forget about when facing things that goddess didn’t consider a threat. Perhaps she should have been relieved to hear that she had bothered to place a shield around her at all. 

At his words, Gaius pointed one of the arms of Ultima at the Elezen, firing off another shot that sent her careening through the air as she had been too focused on the Ascian on Ultima’s shoulder to dodge. Just as he was about to fire upon her again, Lahabrea materialized before her, blocking her from the heated cannon just a few fulms from her face. 

“Did you not hear me? You cannot defeat her like this. No, you need something else. Something more...dark…”

With that, the Ascian rose on his dark cloud to the chestpiece of Ultima. He reached out with one gloved hand, gently stroking an orb centered there while muttering a chant that Carine couldn’t make out. It was then that she noticed a dark crystal hanging from his neck. As he chanted, it began to glow and strain against the chain that held it in place as it reached for the orb. 

Every fiber in her being told Carine that whatever ritual he was performing had to come to an end. Without a second thought, she reached for one of the armor piercing arrows from her quiver and took aim. The bolt soared through the air in a flash of blinding light she knew to be her power as it crackled over her being even now, but it never landed. With a lazy wave of his hand, Lahabrea redirected the ammunition harmlessly to the edge of the platform without having ever looked up from the task at hand. 

Fear gripped the Elezen’s heart as the chant rose higher in a language she couldn’t begin to understand. With the rise of his voice, the orb began to glow and pulse with a dark light that she knew couldn’t be of this world. The very air sizzled with dark energy as the pulsing increased to a steady rhythm, standing her hair on end. She was too late. Whatever he had done, he had succeeded. 

“What have you done?” Gaius demanded, no doubt curious as to what had just happened. It was clear that this hadn’t been a part of the Garlean’s plan. 

“No more than what was necessary, I assure you,” Lahabrea replied after the chant died away on his lips. “To resurrect the one, true god.”

“Damn you Ascian!” Gaius attempted to swat at the being, the claw-like hand of Ultima striking through the billowing black smoke as he disappeared. 

“Damn me? Was it not you that longed for this power? I heard your prayers and I lead you to Ultima as you wished. A shame you didn’t know what you held in your grasp.”

“Speak plainly.”

Words could not describe the cruel grin that spread across the Ascian’s face as he replied, “Why, the core of this weapon is none other than the Heart of Sabik - an ancient relic of Allag that vexed their esteemed scholars even then. All it takes to awaken such a powerful spell is the power of eikons to quicken it. And now? Now nothing shall stop it from destroying the Light Hydaelyn holds dear!”

While the Ascian was distracted with his speech, he took no notice of the Elezen lining up another shot in his direction. If Gaius saw what she was planning, he did nothing to warn his former ally as she released the arrow from her bow, striking the darkened crystal hanging from his neck. 

Several things happened all at once as the crystal shattered into a thousand pieces. Carine lunged forward to capture the body of her friend as Ultima moved against the control of the Garlean within it, shooting forth a bright beam into the sky that consumed them all. Hopeless as it may have been, the Elezen covered Thancred’s lifeless body with her own, shielding him the only way she knew how as everything erupted around them in a blinding, blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry for the delay in this update. Apart from struggling with some serious writer's block on this chapter and dealing with other personal matters in life, I just had to push it to the side. Thankfully, I think the worst of it is over ^^ Now it's all about wrapping this bad boy up and preparing for the next arc!


	23. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _We're even._

Nero kicked at a rock, his face set in a firm grimace that made his jaw ache. Bile rose in the back of his throat every time his mind strayed to think of Carine and  _ what _ she was. All this time she had been living under  _ his _ roof and he hadn’t seen or suspected anything that would have lead him to believe she was the bloody Warrior of Light. Thinking back on it now, the signs were clear as day, especially their last evening together. 

To think he had thought the woman had possibly come to care for him in some capacity. He knew now that was all a ruse, an act to keep him from believing her to be the enemy to his homeland. She could claim to not know what she was all she wanted, but he wouldn’t be so blind this time. Not after she had destroyed everything he had spent his entire life creating.

_ One day someone will come into your life you did not expect and they will destroy everything you have worked so hard to build for yourself… _ Her words echoed in his mind, haunting him just the way she had declared she would, but how could he have known at the time it would be  _ her? _ Should the Eorzeans win and Carine be successful in her mission to stop Gaius and Ultima, he would be surrounded by an enemy out for Garlean blood. The more likely scenario would be that Gaius’ plan to subjugate this savage land succeed, and even then Nero wasn’t fool enough to believe his mentor would welcome him back with open arms. 

Indeed, she had truly destroyed everything for him. 

Nero sighed and looked up at the blackened sky. Smoke billowed in the distance where the battle was still raging between the Garleans and the Alliance. To stay here meant death for him no matter which side won, however, should he flee to Ala Mhigo and summon forth reinforcements that the Eorzeans weren’t expecting...that would be a sure way to keep his head on his shoulders at the very least.

Perhaps there was a way to salvage this mess after all. 

As he made his way to the airship landing, he gathered up what Garlean soldiers he could find and brought them along with him. Many of them were gravely wounded and in need of medical attention and healing which presented him with an opportunity to be a hero to someone. Though his job was to protect Gaius or lead in his absence, Nero found that rescuing the wounded had advantages all its own. Soldiers that owed him were likely to fight on his behalf. Being seen as a hero in  _ someone’s _ eyes at this current moment was better than being considered a traitor.

“How goes the battle?” Nero asked one of the soldiers that had come to assist those in need of medical attention. 

“Not well. The Eorzeans have us nearly pushed back to the Praetorium,” the imperial replied with a salute. 

_ It’s not going half as bad as you think… _ he smirked under his helm as he looked towards the laboratory. The closer the savages were to the lair of Ultima, the more likely they would be to face all its power. Sure, imperials were going to be caught in the crosshairs and desecrated, that much he had already expected once he tapped into the power that it held, but such was the price of war. It was only a small shame that the Eorzeans would only bare witness to the spectacle for a short time before being eliminated themselves.

Bile rose again as his mind drifted to his last memory of Carine. Blood seeping from the cut on her brow, the bruises forming under her eyes and cheeks, and the pain behind those lilac eyes as she looked upon him. His hands formed into fists as he willed the broken images away, ignoring the irritating ache of guilt in his chest. 

She had chosen her path and he had warned it would lead to her death. She was no longer his concern. 

“My lord, the supplies have been secured and the injured are on board. Should we proceed to Ala Mhigo and summon reinforcements?” An officer saluted him, bringing him blessed distraction. He opened his mouth to give the word when everything shifted.

The ground beneath his boots expanded, almost as if the world below was inhaling with one, long breath. The aether that constantly swirled around them seemed to be sucked towards the Praetorium, making anyone standing close at that moment dizzy. The Garlean’s heart lurched in his chest as the realization that Gaius had activated Ultima dawned upon him. He wasn’t far enough away. None of them were.

Nero saw the explosion before he heard it. As one, he and the soldiers he was with turned towards the center of the castrum, eyes widening as a beam of light shot straight up towards the heavens. His skin pebbled with both fear and exhilaration as the power of Ultima revealed itself to the world below in a brilliant display that he had thought he wouldn’t have seen. For a moment, it seemed as though time itself had stopped to marvel his reincarnation of the weapon and the world even held its breath as the beam intensified, preparing to shoot outwards in every direction to destroy all in its path. 

Before he could order the soldiers to hurry, the ground beneath them trembled with such force it sent him tumbling to the ground. A great, resounding boom reverberated through the air, threatening to burst his eardrums as he struggled back to his feet. Nero’s eyes darted, seeking shelter from the buildings that were sure to collapse from the burst of energy, but by some miracle they remained upright. 

Confused, Nero looked back towards the Praetorium. There was no reason for the buildings or the walls surrounding the castrum to remain intact, not if Gaius had unleashed the full power of the ancient weapon. 

_ Carine… _

Unbidden, her name immediately came to mind as he looked on what could only be described as a miracle. A dome of light perfectly encircled the laboratory, containing the magical energies released during the attack. He could make out the dark glow of red hot flames sifting through the black clouds of smoke held within their prison, reminding him of the arena where he had first witnessed Carine fight Ifrit. 

It seemed impossible that she could summon forth such power, even if she was this Warrior of Light. Yet there was no denying that the Elezen had just saved them all. 

_ But at what cost? _ Carine had asked him that question what felt like ages ago when he had apparently horrified her with his experiences growing up. Now, those words held a different meaning to him as he watched the dome fizzle out. Nero knew there was no surviving the full might of Ultima, not even from where he was currently standing. Carine had not only been standing practically at point blank range, but she had enclosed herself in a small space with it. 

He clenched his jaw and turned on his heel, ignoring the sharp pains in his chest that seemed to make it more difficult to breathe. He pushed away the driving curiosity that begged him to see it ended for himself, focusing more on his wounded pride and the sting of betrayal Carine had inflicted upon him. This was  _ her _ fault. She could have walked away from the start or even told him what she was capable of. Carine asked for this and had he chosen to walk away and follow her path, he would have ended up dead as well. 

The airship lifted off the ground, breaking the silence that permeated the air following the blast. Nero looked on, watching the smoke break free and haze the battlefield below as his tried to relax his fingers fisting at his sides. Every fiber of his being longed to see, even if it was just a glimpse of her crumpled corpse on the ground. There was no reason behind it. If she was dead then that was one less obstacle Gaius had to deal with before bringing this nation to its knees.

So why did he need to know?

With a frustrated sigh, Nero turned to his personal Reaper and climbed aboard. He flipped several switches, bringing the magitek to life beneath him, and ordered the hatch to be opened. 

“But sir!” the officer hesitated. “Who will bring the reinforcements?” 

“The Hells do I care?” he shot back. “Consider yourself temporarily promoted and do it yourself.” 

When the hatch opened, the general wasted no time exiting the craft as it made its way west towards the desert region of Ala Mhigo where the rest of the XIVth legion was stationed. They would arrive within the hour, and hopefully by then Nero would be already on his way to assist in raising reinforcements. First, he just needed to see that Carine was truly gone before he could focus on the next task at hand. 

There wasn’t much left of his former lab, from what he could see. The entire top of the building had gone up in the explosion and the buildings surrounding it had crumbled to the ground. Flames danced along the jagged edges where the power had ripped the earth apart and if he hadn’t been wearing his helmet, he was sure to have choked on the fumes and ash.

As he circled, Nero could have swore he witnessed a flash of light. Naturally, he believed it to be wires and electricity sparking within the rubble. Upon landing, he concluded that the flashes were far too bright to illuminate the thick black smoke wafting towards the sky. 

_ It would be my luck the wench would somehow get me killed for dying herself, _ he cursed himself as the blood in his veins turned to ice. Why he was only now becoming very aware of the danger he was in should Gaius wish to unleash another blast, he couldn’t say. Why he wasn’t turning around and flying straight for safety upon making that realization, he didn’t bloody know. 

The lone Garlean climbed down the dangerous terrain, taking special care to avoid treacherous footholds along the way. It wasn’t terribly long until he could make out the hulking shadow of Ultima being illuminated by orange light. A few more minutes of climbing down, and he could finally see through the darkened clouds to the platform the machine was standing on. 

From what he could tell, the elevator had somehow survived the blast, but only barely. It’s edges were bent and contorted, crumbling from the damage done around them. Nero had expected Ultima to remain wholly unaffected from the damage, given that it was designed to withstand such power and protect the person who controlled it from within. To his great surprise, large, gaping holes peppered the machine and its tail was hanging on by just a few wires. 

_ How in Seven Hells… _ he began to ask himself when a flash of brilliant white light blinded him. An explosion reverberated along the metal walls, but not one caused by Ultima itself. He squinted, straining his eyes until they beheld a lone figure standing over the broken body of the Ascian. 

Nero’s heart stopped within his chest as the familiar long locks of silvery-white hair billowed around Carine’s pointed face. His mind raced with dozens of questions as she faced the monstrosity without fear or hesitation. How had she survived? Why wasn’t she hurt? Why in Seven Hells was she  _ protecting _ the Ascian? And why was he relieved?

He found himself frozen in awe as he watched the battle unfold. It was clearly in her favor, as whatever blessing this goddess had bestowed upon Carine had transformed her weapon of choice into a bow of blinding, white light. Each time the arrows struck, they did untold amounts of damage, breaking the weapon apart piece by piece. And for all Ultima’s might, it was far too large to keep up with her acrobatics as she rolled around the platform dodging its encumbered attacks. 

As the battle went on, it became clear to Nero that Gaius was getting desperate. His attacks were less precise than they should have been and far more reckless. Several times he had to dodge out of the way to avoid the laser beam that cut through the Garlean steel as though it were butter. The longer he stayed, the less safe it became for him. 

The Warrior of Light was far too engrossed in defeating Ultima that she couldn’t see the damage being done to the platform that supported them several hundred feet from the lower levels from whence they came. If she didn’t get out of there now, she wouldn’t be leaving at all. It was a thought that unsettled Nero as he climbed his way out of the pit towards his Reaper. 

He had every right to let her die there with Gaius. She had lied to his face for months, made him feel things he didn’t understand. She had made a fool of him before his superior and his peers. She should have meant nothing to him, less than nothing even...but seeing her alive and thriving where others would have surely failed  _ moved _ him. 

_ I’m only doing this because she spared my life when she could have ended it, _ he told himself as he mounted the  _ Red Baron _ and scoured the broken battlefield for something that might help her escape before the platform collapsed. It was a reasonable and logical reason, honorable even, if he wished to think himself that. The truth of the matter as far as he was concerned was he didn’t like being indebted to people. To think he might have to return to Garlemald and owe the Warrior of Light a life debt was not something he would ever pride himself on. 

As things were going currently, there wasn’t anyone alive but himself that knew he had lost to her. Well, Gaius too, but from the way he was fighting, it wouldn’t be much longer before he joined his bride in death. If Carine survived and changed her mind about informing the Scions of what happened, anything else Nero would do this evening to secure him a place in Garlemald society would be ruined. It was unlikely that she would call for his blood after the fact, unless she took pleasure in humiliating him, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. If he returned the favor by saving her life, well, it seemed incentive enough to keep this mess of theirs between themselves. 

The more he told himself he was doing this for his own benefit, the more sense it made. Before long, Nero believed that this was truly the most logical course of action to save his own hide. Not only that, but it gave him even more information to hand over to the Empire on what her abilities consisted of. 

_ You might have taken everything from me, little wench, _ he smirked to himself as his gaze found a intact Reaper.  _ But I still have a chance at a future. _

Nero cut the golden cloth hanging from his armor and took a bit of charred metal to scratch on a message for his bride. A few moments of tinkering with the autopilot mechanism in the magitek, and the Reaper was on its way to rescue the fool of a woman from certain death. 

Whether it reached her in time or not no longer concerned him as he dusted off his armor and set course for Ala Mhigo. 

 

***

 

_ Hear...Feel...Think… _

The words sang to her in a beautiful voice each time Carine plucked the string of her bow. It grew faint with each attack she launched, the power growing weaker as Hydaelyn slipped further from her. It was the first time she had heard the goddess speaking to her, guiding her with a gentle voice to soothe her soul as she fought to the death, but she feared it would also be the last as it grew distant. 

Never had her vision been more clear than it was the moment the goddess had used her power to shield her and Thancred from utter destruction. A weapon such as Ultima had no place in this world and needed to be destroyed at all costs.

As did the person willing to command it. 

Her fellow Scion hadn’t moved at all since she had destroyed the dark crystal around his neck. As far as Carine could tell, Thancred seemed unharmed even with the erratic attacks made by Gaius van Baelsar as he sought to bring her down. But she couldn’t see the damage done to his mind from Lahabrea, nor could she tell where the Ascian may have gone to. She could feel it in her very bones that he hadn’t been destroyed. Weakened, maybe, but certainly not dead.

As for the Ultima Weapon...it was practically falling apart now. If Gaius had been trying to power up that heart of whatever it was, she hadn’t given him the chance before dislodging it from the machine completely. It had fallen to the steel flooring with a heavy crack, destroying the relic as it shattered. The hole where it used to sit revealed the very heart of the destroyer, pulsing with energy. 

The Light was fading from her fast, the words now barely a whisper in the wind as she took aim one last time. The arrow of light, barely glowing, sang through the air and fizzled as it struck the core. As quickly as her legs could carry her, she rushed over to Thancred’s prone form and dragged him behind a raised piece of platform to shield themselves from the resulting blast as Ultima began to implode. Carine covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, holding herself over her fellow Scion as flames burned at her skin and shrapnel sliced through her flesh. 

When she opened her eyes, she could see Gaius’ form laying across from her, his impenetrable armor dented and caved on his chest from where he had fallen. She almost thought him dead until he moved his arms under him in an attempt to stand. Though she could no longer hear or feel Hydaelyn with her, Carine knew that the Legatus stood no chance against her as she took up her bow and aimed one of her few arrows left. 

She watched him carefully as he pushed himself to his knees and took in the damage surrounding them. His hands clenched into fists at his side as he slowly shook his head before bowing it to his chest. 

“So much destruction. This was not my intent,” he said, a note of disturbance in his voice.

“I find that incredibly hard to believe, considering you wanted to build this thing to bring fear to the heart of my people,” Carine panted, keeping her eye and arrow trained on him for any sudden movements. 

The Garlean said nothing, barely even tilted his head in the direction of her words as he stared at the ground. He was broken, defeated by the hands of a savage in a blighted land,  _ her _ hands. It should have elated her to know the fight was over and that Ultima was no longer a threat to the realm and her loved ones, but it didn’t. Instead she saw a man that had given up everything for this and had failed. His wife was dead, his friends either dead or long gone, his army defeated and his weapon destroyed. If the emperor was half as unforgiving as she let herself believe, it was likely Gaius no longer had a home left to return to. 

The realization that it could have been her instead shook her to her very core. 

Gaius moved to stand, and Carine allowed it as he pushed his weight off the ground and turned to her. Though she couldn’t see his eyes through the thick helm, she could feel them staring into her own as he spoke. “Heed me...the subjects of a weak ruler must look to a higher power for providence,” he said meaningfully. “Their dependence for someone or something stronger than they comes at a cost to the realm. The misguided elevate the frail and the frail lead people astray. Unless a man…” he stared harder at her now. “Or a woman of power gains control, the cycle will never be broken.”

She could feel the conviction behind his words, a conviction he wished to instill upon her. He believed it with everything he had to offer, it was what drove him to Eorzea in the first place, but just because it was his truth did not make it hers. 

“Too much power in the hands of a single person could cost the realm as well. One look at the Empire is all it takes to see it,” she replied, relaxing her grip on her weapon. “I would not take away my people’s right to choose what they believe or whom they follow.”

He shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal of her words. “Then the destruction of your nation you love so much will be on your head. One day you will be faced with the consequences be it months or years from this moment. Only then will you realize the truth of my words.”

Carine opened her mouth to tell him he was full of bird shit, but was cut off as the platform they were on became unstable. Support cables pulling them up as well as the beams supporting them from below creaked and groaned from the damage done during their battle. Another tremor rolled through the floor as Ultima shook with energy longing to escape. 

Her eyes darted quickly over over every possible escape route, fear clenching at her gut as she realized there was no way of escape, not when she had to carry Thancred. The walls would be hard enough to scale on their own before the rest of the building exploded and though her orders were to leave her fellow Scion behind should it come between them, the Elezen didn’t have it in her heart to do so. She would be damned if she didn’t try though. 

With what strength she could muster and against the screaming protests of every muscle in her body, Carine supported the Midlander, using her body almost as a crutch to drag him to the edge of the platform. Just on the other side of the searing hot flames, she could just make out an opening to a long, dark hallway that would have to serve as their path to freedom. All hope was snuffed out like the flame to a blown candle as she realized that there was nothing connecting the platform to the chamber ahead. 

She would have to jump. 

Torn with indecision on saving herself or trying to summon the strength to toss Thancred’s lifeless body, Carine did nothing. Even should she succeed in getting him over there, he was still unconscious from whatever Lahabrea had done to him and from the way the platform shuddered with each passing second, it wasn’t likely she would be able to run fast enough to get herself to freedom. 

Just as she had accepted that this was her fate, a Reaper fell from the sky, landing just a few feet from where she stood. Her eyes shifted to Gaius, who stood looking longingly at the weapon she had destroyed. He seemed to hardly notice the magitek that would have been his ticket to freedom. Seemed a waste of a perfectly good rescue attempt, she thought to herself as she scrambled to bring Thancred along with her. 

Whoever had sent it had made sure that she would have little to try and figure out herself. Everything was on and waiting for her to just steer, which made her job of getting Thancred into a suitable position to hold onto easier. As she grabbed onto one of the joysticks of the magitek, she noticed a tattered golden cloth tied to it. She pulled it from the controls, nearly tossing it to the ground behind her when she noticed words smeared on the fabric.

_ We’re even. _

Even if Carine hadn’t recognized Nero’s distinct script she would have known who sent it. As badly as she wished to search for him, there was no time as the platform began to give way. She stuffed the cloth down her shirt and clung to Thancred as she pulled back on the controls and hit the pedal to send the Reaper into the air. It came just in time too, as the supports beneath them finally gave way, plummeting everything to the depths below. The elezen risked one last look behind, catching a glimpse of Gaius van Baelsar, Legatus of the XIVth Legion of the Garlean Empire before he was enveloped by flames and smoke.

The force of the resulting explosion rocketed them through the air, burning her skin and bringing tears to her eyes as she pushed the machine as hard as it would go. Another explosion, followed by another soon overwhelmed the Warrior of Light, blackening her vision and plummeting her into unconsciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait guys! Been really busy lately between work and creating a D&D campaign for my husband (ah, the things we do for love!) 
> 
> There is one final chapter after this one to finish out this arc, then onto the next!!! I can't wait to get there :)


	24. Rise of a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Where there is Light, there is always Darkness_

Lahabrea careened helplessly through the air as he resisted the vacuum that pulled at his legs and cloak. His eyes searched and his magic reached, desperate to find life worthy of clinging to. The light coming from the damned champion was too bright, shielding him from finding the life sources he knew to be nearby. As she faded from view, the Ascian captured a glimmer of hope amongst the chaos wrought by Ultima’s demise. Try as he might, he hadn’t the strength to grasp the body in time before being sucked back to his realm. 

Pain laced through his every limb, igniting every nerve ending aflame in the process. It felt as though he were a seed being forced through a straw far too small as the air was pulled from his lungs. He knew it wouldn’t last and try as he might, he would not let  _ them _ hear his screams of agony whilst it felt as though he were being ripped apart limb from limb.

His body landed with a hard thud, head dangerously close to cracking against the stony ground that served as their headquarters. Lahabrea gasped at the air, filling his lungs as he rolled to his hands and knees. Humiliated, the Ascian struck the ground with a clenched fist. 

“A most spectacular failure,” a familiar voice rang out in amusement upon his arrival. 

“As if you could do better, Nabriales,” he said through gritted teeth as he rose to his full height. As his luck would have it, the magic that had forced him back to this plane of existence had dropped him in the middle for all the overlords to see. Each of them glared down at him, their faces hidden in shadows created by their black hoods. He could feel their disappointment and irritation at him, some of them even shaking their heads before returning to matters at hand. 

“Oh, but I could. Alas, the task of eliminating the champion of Light was given to you. A poor judgment, as it seems,” the other Ascian declared with an unforgiving smirk. 

A flash of dark magic shot through Lahabrea’s fingertips, arcing through the air towards the nasally Ascian in a fit of rage. Nabriales dodged the attack, the smile on his lips turning downward into a menacing snarl as he prepared his own counter. 

“Enough!”

At once, the overlords stilled and straightened themselves, turning their faces towards the door that lead to the room they were gathered within. Lahabrea turned, his face still set in a scowl as he faced the newcomer with hardened eyes. 

An Ascian dressed in a white cloak entered the room, his presence filling every corner and commanding a respect the others weren’t so willing to give. Unlike his fellows, this man seemed to smile gently and kindly upon him as he approached, though there was a tone of disappointment as he addressed him. “Lahabrea.”

“Elidibus,” he replied, glaring back at the man all while trying to mimic his peaceful demeanor. “I would ask your forgiveness in failing the task you had appointed me. I ask for another chance, another body, to correct this mistake.”

Elidibus looked him over, eyes shrouded in shadow and face hidden behind a red mask like the rest of them. Lahabrea didn’t appreciate the thoughtful stare, or the smug pretentiousness emanating from behind him. If anything, it made him wish to throw his magic at every one of them just to wipe the grins from their faces. 

“But you have naught to apologize for.”

The air stilled in tense silence as everyone within the room turned at once to face the emissary of their god. Even Lahabrea, who benefited from whatever form of support this man was offering, regarded him cautiously. It was well known among them that their leader had a unique way of determining how to bring back Zodiark from his banishment, but they also knew that as long as this Warrior of Light stood strong, their chances lessened in successfully completing the task.

“The champion of Light walks free, and I have nothing to apologize for?” he glowered, clenching his fists at his side as the other Ascian circled him. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Elidibus asked, casting a deliberate glance at each of the overlords that stood in silence around them. Some whispered amongst themselves, debating at what the hidden message he was trying to convey while others continued to cast dirty looks down upon Lahabrea. They were convinced this was some sort of ruse to make him think as though he wasn’t in trouble for failing in his task, and though he was currently benefiting from the distraction, he couldn’t help but side with them. 

“I’m afraid you might have to spell it out for all our sakes,” Igeyorhm, one of the other Ascians, sighed. “I thought the goal was to speed up the Reckoning. Does this champion not hinder our endeavor?”

Elidibus paused, boots barely scuffing at the cobblestones beneath him as he regarded her statement with interest. The darkness that surrounded them in their little pocket realm shrouded his face just like the others, and it was in this moment that Lahabrea decided that he had been working for too many masked men in too short a time. It was difficult enough to discern what the other Ascians were thinking on a good day,  _ especially _ the emissary. 

“Our goal is simply to join Zodiark and Hydaelyn once again as things  _ should _ be. Freeing Him from His banishment shall right the wrongs She cast upon us all when she purged Him.  _ Balance _ is our goal.”

“And how does allowing Her Light to shine through the warrior aid us?” Nabriales asked, his annoyingly arrogant voice prickling the skin at the base of Lahabrea’s neck. 

The Ascian in white grinned, “Her power is growing, giving the beastmen reason enough to fear what she is capable of. The Garleans were but a tool in need of guidance. Though they have been driven from the land, a single name is remembered throughout the realm. If a single person is capable of eliminating a threat, does that not give reason to fear them?” he challenged his companions. “And in their fear, will the beastmen not try to rise up more powerful versions of their gods to challenge her? Why, she is now doing part of our work for us all thanks to Lahabrea raising her a hero for the realm.”

Murmurs rushed through them as his vision took form alongside their own. Most of the overlords disagreed with such an outlook, seeing the Warrior of Light as a threat that would grow stronger as time went on and challenges were presented to them while others saw this as a relief. No one liked poking the likes of the beast tribes. It was dirty work that should have been beneath them all.

Still, Lahabrea wondered at how else this woman might serve their purpose. Elidibus was too clever to think her useful of only taking care of the Primals and he wasn’t fool enough to think the Scions would believe them to no longer be a threat. “You’re not telling us something,” he said at last, lifting his eyes to face the emissary. 

“Of course not. While I find the outcome of your mission to serve our singular purpose satisfactory, I am not so blind as to see it wasn’t your intention to fail at all,” he snapped back, his calm demeanor changing rapidly into a carefully controlled rage. “You shall be granted a chance to redeem yourself when the time is right, though I shall endeavor to make sure you do not do it alone.”

Lahabrea growled under his breath, magic tingling at his fingertips. He would sooner cast himself into the Void than to work with the likes of Nabriales or any of the other overlords for that matter. “Of course.”

Elidibus nodded, turning his attention away from the scorned Ascian and towards the pretentious ass that was currently gloating in the aftermath of seeing his comrade reprimanded. “Nabriales. Seeing as you are so eager to prove yourself, I task you with going to Ishgard.”

Lahabrea noticed how the smile faded from his peer, replaced with a glowering look of outright anger. “Going to Ishgard does  _ nothing _ for aiding our cause. I would rather…” he snarled and pointed at the emissary. 

“You would rather do Zodiark’s work  _ correctly _ rather than  _ swiftly, _ yes?” Elidibus pointed out, keeping the other man from finishing his statement that certainly wasn’t going to end that way. “I would hate for you to become overzealous and end in another failure, wouldn’t you?”

The implication was followed by a uniform silence. Bringing Zodiark back to power was their primary goal and should have unified them in the way that keeping Eorzea safe unified the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. The problem was, each of them had their own ideas and plans on how exactly to do that. For most of them, including Lahabrea, the quicker they could bring the demise of the Warrior of Light and Hydaelyn, the better. Others seemed to think that it would be wiser to be more precise. And then, of course, was Elidibus, who seemed to have an agenda all his own and no desire to share with the rest of them at present. 

“Very well,” Nabriales replied after several moments. “To the one true god! To Zodiark!”

As one, the other Ascians raised their arms and repeated the chant, Lahabrea included. Secretly, however, he hoped that Nabriales would be just as unsuccessful as he. Not just because he hated the man and wanted to see him prove a failure, but also to possibly prove a point. 

This Warrior of Light is not someone to take lightly.

 

***

 

_ Hear...Feel...Think… _

The words drifted over Carine, summoning forth her very soul much as they had when Ultima released its destructive magic. She had no will to resist the calling as weightlessness took her through what could only have been the heavens. She had never felt such peace or seen such beauty as she flew through the stars, carried by gentle, cascading musical notes. 

And then she saw it. A giant crystal of light floating before her where nothing but stars had been before. It’s tall spire pierced the blackened sky and the heavy base blotted the twinkling of other worlds far beyond her reach. It was a thing of purity, so bright that that Elezen had to shield her eyes from the brilliance of light refracted on its surface. 

_ Hear...Feel...Think… _

The words seemed as a command, and obediently she closed her eyes. The warmth of the heavenly voice soothed away her troubles and the light warmed her from within. She could even feel the power given to her by the goddess stirring and reacting the closer she flew. A smile graced her lips as the feeling of home grew stronger. 

This was Hydaelyn. 

_ Beloved daughter, thou hast shed thine light where darkness once grew, casting it out from whence it came. _

The words fell over her skin, caressing her with such warmth and love that Carine felt as though she would cry. The Mother of Light was finally speaking to her, finally calling upon her, and yet she had no words to say. There were too many questions that needed answers and all of them were entangled on her tongue the moment she opened her mouth to speak.

_ But thine work is not yet done, my child. Though darkness has been cast out it yet lingers in realms forgotten. Be ever vigilant for its return… _

As Hydaelyn said the words, Carine felt something grasp at her ankle. Without thinking, she looked down to see a tendril of darkness pulling her down towards a black hole. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She reached out with her hands towards the goddess, but there was no help from the crystal as more and more tendrils grabbed hold of her. 

Kicking and fighting, Carine wrestled with the darkness that now threatened to suffocate her. The coils snaked up her body, pebbling her skin with their icy touch as they darkened the sky and eliminated the stars and the blessed light off Hydaelyn. She roared as anger and fear in equal measures consumed her, fighting with all her might until the darkness took control. Both arms were pulled taunt from each other, as were both legs. The more she struggled, the tighter they held her. Her chest heaved from the exertion, her head falling towards her chest as she accepted her defeat and allowed the blackened clouds to take her where they will. 

She didn’t have long to wait, it seemed, before she felt them stop moving. Tentatively she tested her bindings, wincing as they tightened their grip on her. Slowly she opened her eyes, revealing a crystal likened to Hydaelyn though it was shrouded in darkness. There was no warmth emanating from within its onyx form, no peace, and absolutely no light. It was cold, dark,  _ empty, _ almost as if there were something vital missing from it. 

_ The beloved...warrior… _

A weak, raspy, cold voice spoke to her in whispers so softly that Carine couldn’t understand most of what was said. It rose and fell, echoing into the abyss that surrounded them while somehow getting lost at the same time. Fear clutched at her spine as her blood turned to ice in her veins as it continued its whispers. 

“Wh-what do you want from me?” her voice trembled, surprising her that she could now hear it. 

The dark voice chuckled, amused at her question.  _ I want you to Hear child of Light. Feel. Think. _

She didn’t like that it was mimicking the Mother of Light, mocking her gentle nature with the cruelty she could feel coming forth from the dark crystal. It was clear that he held no love for Hydaelyn, and that its hatred ran deep.

_ Good. You listen. _

“Not to you, I don’t,” Carine countered, earning yet another amused chuckle from the darkness. 

_ A puppet that thinks it has no strings. You shall learn. All shall learn. _

“Learn what?” 

_ Where there is Light, there is always Darkness… _

 

Carine jerked awake as the sensation of falling pulled her from her slumber. She looked around, eyes darting from one end of the room to the other as she regained her wits. She was back home laying in her bed with the tattered quilt her mother had made her long ago tucked tightly against her body. Her desk was in its usual corner piled with odd knickknacks she had collected over the years and her wardrobe stood against the same wall it always had been, reflecting the afternoon light from the window across from it.  Relief settled over her as she wiped the sweat from her brow and calmed her beating heart. 

It had only been a dream. A terrifying, soul ripping nightmare, she told herself.  Try as she might to believe it, the words of the dark crystal continued to resound in her head, the answer to a question she knew not. And if it had just been a dream, why could she still feel the icy grip of the darkness on her wrists and ankles? Why did she feel as though she could bathe every day for a week and still not rid herself the feeling of the coils grasping her?

And there was Hydaelyn as well. Carine couldn’t deny that her voice had been the same one that had spoken to her when the shield of light protected her from Ultima’s devastation. Had the goddess truly spoken to her? After all this time of doing her work, had Carine finally become worthy of her council? Given that she felt nothing from the Mother of Light now, she wasn’t entirely sure. 

With a sigh, she went to turn over in her bed when she noticed a weight lingering at her feet. She cast a glance down, smiling as she beheld her mother leaned over and resting her head on her arms. Carefully, so not to greatly disturb her or frighten her, Carine sat up and gently rubbed her shoulder. Sleepy blue eyes peeked from behind a fan of lashes before closing again. She was just about repeat the motion when Elaine shot up with her hand over her heart. 

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed in a whisper, looking at her as though she couldn’t believe what she saw. 

“Why do you seem so surprised?” She asked, taking her mother’s hand in her own. 

Elaine looked much like she did the day Carine had returned to her after being taken by the Garleans. Her wrinkles around her eyes were more defined, the light within them dulled. Her silver hair hung in oily strands, and it seemed as though she had lost some weight. 

“Do you not remember?” her mother asked wearily. 

“Remember what?” Carine thought back, suddenly realizing she had no memory of coming home at all after the battle. The last thing she had seen was Thancred’s lifeless form across her as they flew into the sky and then smoke and ash and flame consuming them before they could escape the self destruction of Ultima. Then there was nothing. Nothing but darkness and the crystals and their cryptic words…

“Darling...you’ve been asleep for three days,” her mother told her with tears in her eyes. “The healers, that Miqo’te friend of yours...they said you would wake...but I thought-”

As Elaine began to choke up on her words, Carine reached out and pulled her in for a close embrace. Her mother sobbed into her chest, hands clinging to her clothes as she hugged her back while her daughter comforted her. “It’s okay, Mama. I’m here.”

They sat like that for several minutes, neither of them talking as they held onto one another in reassurance. Carine couldn’t keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks, unable to comprehend the fear and pain her mother had endured while watching her sleep. Finally the two pulled apart, each reaching to wipe the tears from the other’s eyes and smiling at their actions. 

“How...how did the battle fare?” Carine asked, putting her legs over the edge of the bed and motioning for her mother to join her. 

“We lost a few, but the Garleans are gone. People have been celebrating every day since.”

“And the women? Those that were Drafted?” she looked hopefully at Elaine. “Were the Scions able to get them to safety?”

Elaine nodded with a sad smile. “Everyone was extracted as planned, so Minfilia tells me. Most of them have been reunited with their families, but those from other lands the Empire controls are staying within Revenant’s Toll for now.”

“And Violaine?”

Carine knew better than to bring up her sister. Nero had told both of them that she had been taken to the capital, and it had seemed as though that’s where she would spend the rest of her days. Still, she couldn’t help but to hope that Violaine had been found among the brides within the other castrums. 

Her mother shook her head, grief overcoming her as she leaned against her eldest daughter. “Nero told us true. She is not in Eorzea.”

At the sound of his name, Carine stiffened. She thought back to the Reaper that had come and saved them and immediately began searching her shirt for that bit of cloth that had been tied to it. She couldn’t let anyone know she had it, couldn’t let them know that she had spared him lest they punish her for some sort of treason. 

“Carine? Is everything alright?” Elaine asked, her brows knitted together in worry. 

“Er, yes,” she stammered, stopping herself from searching further. It was gone, perhaps lost in the explosion during her escape. “Tell me, is Thancred alright?” she asked, changing the subject before her mother could question her further. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to the woman that had been worried sick over her for the past several days. 

“He is recovering,” a familiar voice said from the doorway, causing the two Elezen to look up. 

Minfilia smiled warmly, blue eyes twinkling with joy as she looked Carine over. “‘Tis good to see you still among us, Warrior.”

“The Scions wanted you to stay in the healing quarters of Ul’dah, but I thought it would be best if you woke somewhere familiar. They have been taking turns staying here in Violaine’s room in case you woke,” Elaine explained. “They have been very helpful.”

_ At least as much as you would allow them to be… _ Carine mused to herself as she took in her mother’s haggard appearance.  _ Stubborn woman. _

“How are you feeling?” Minfilia asked, walking into the room and taking a seat upon the stool her mother had been using before. 

“Tired and sore,” she replied, stretching out her arms. “But I think I’ll live. How are the others?”

“None were injured. Most of the others are in Revenant’s Toll aiding the women and children that do not yet have a place here. Thancred, is on the mend, though I fear where his mind takes him…” the Highlander replied. “Cid has been asking to visit you. He...worries.”

Carine needed no clarification as to why her Garlean friend would worry. As far as he knew, they had both lost someone they cared about at her hands. It would stand to reason he would worry over her after thinking she had killed Nero, even if that was far from the truth. “Perhaps I should go to him and ease those worries,” she replied, nibbling on her lower lip.

“I shall await you at the airdocks...whenever you are ready. Pray, take your time,” Minfilia said, excusing herself from the room, leaving her alone with her mother again. 

Elaine helped Carine from the bed and to the washroom, her strength returning slowly to her as she worked muscles that she hadn’t moved in days. The water felt heavenly against her skin as she washed the grime from her body while her mother worked on gathering her a fresh set of clothes to wear. The elder Elezen even brought a small plate of fruit for her to nibble on while she got ready for her trip with the antecedent, not that she could stomach much of it. Just before she was about to walk out the door, Elaine rushed forward with a gift wrapped in her hands. 

“What is this?” Carine asked, turning it over and giving it a gentle shake. Her mother urged her into opening it, revealing a delicately carved harp made of the finest materials. It was a vast improvement from the one that she had left behind in Nero’s apartment, larger and more beautifully crafted. One pluck of a string, and the sound was so pure and rich that it nearly brought a tear to her eyes. 

“It’s for your travels. To remind you of home,” Elaine replied, wiping a stray tear from her own eyes. 

“Oh Mama, I’m only going to Revenant’s Toll to speak with Cid. I’ll be home before dinner,” Carine shook her head. 

“Today, maybe, but tomorrow? Carine, you are more than yourself now, you understand that? You were chosen because you are needed by the people of Eorzea and Hydaelyn and the Twelve for all we know. I am no fool to think your work was finished that day you took on Ultima. So I want you to carry this with you and use it to bring hope to those you seek to help,” her mother explained. “Be the hero I know you were meant to be.”

Carine looked down at the harp, tracing her fingers along the intricate designs etched into the wood. Her mother was asking her to be a hero, a hero she never longed or expected to be. If what she said was true, there was an entire world of people out there that was looking up to her as the answer to all of their problems. Never before had a nation resisted the likes of the Garlean Empire three times. Never before had a single person that came from nothing more than a simple family just trying to get by and rise to the likeness of a hero. There was hope in that, and great responsibility. 

She didn’t know if she could do it, but her mother believed in her and so did the Scions. Violaine’s life may even depend on her taking up this mantle to free her of the prison she was surely held within. Carine felt the resolve fall over her as she gripped the harp to her chest. 

“I’ll try, Mama. I’ll try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...here we are...the end of the beginning. I can't believe I stuck it out this long and actually finished it! And I have all of you who have left kudos and comments and words of encouragement to thank for it!
> 
> This is not the end of Carine's tale, oh no, and I cannot wait to get started on the next chapter of her role as the Warrior of Light! What are these Ascians planning? What happened to Nero? And where in Seven Hells is Violaine?! There is still so much to tell, but I greatly thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Ties that Break](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417723) by [Panda_Valentine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panda_Valentine/pseuds/Panda_Valentine)
  * [Ties within the shadows](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17266475) by [Rhodeswesterfeld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhodeswesterfeld/pseuds/Rhodeswesterfeld)




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